Class of 2025: UCalgary health sciences grad driven to help those in need

Ryan Rahimi, BHSc’25, has always known he wanted to help others and work in a field that could lift people in need. 

Inspired by his own life experience struggling with a speech impairment while growing up, and navigating his blended English-Farsi language, he connected with supports and mentors who helped him transition from struggling to confidently being able to express his words and feelings. That led to the Cumming School of Medicine’s Bachelor of Health Sciences program, beginning in 2021, and now convocation on June 3.

Along the journey, he adhered to a personal philosophy of helping others, often as a volunteer. 

“I knew I wanted to provide the same support to others but I didn’t know where to start. The greatest gift anyone can give to someone who is struggling and help them find their footing is to instill in them a belief in their ability to succeed on their own terms,” Rahimi says.

Diverse experience enhances volunteering efforts

Rahimi continues to put his philosophy into practice. He volunteers at Vecova, a non-profit that supports individuals with disabilities, and has worked as a summer camp counsellor in a camp specialised for children with disabilities. He volunteers with Health Help Alberta to guide underprivileged individuals navigating the health care system, and mentors recent immigrants to help improve their English, as he once did. 

He has been driven by the goal to provide mentorship and support to as many children, youth and families as he could.

• Read more profiles of amazing Class of 2025 graduates

As an undergraduate research assistant in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine’s Careem Lab, Rahimi worked with immunologists, cell biologists, veterinary scientists and bioinformaticians on research related to respiratory viral infections. Rahimi says his time in the lab built his confidence as a researcher and a mentor. 

“I learned RNA extraction [the process of purifying RNA from biological samples from one member], a different method from another, the data analysis from another, and so on. Over the past three years in the lab, I was able to transition from learn to begin teaching new people who were beginning their professional and academic journey in the lab.”

The Journal of Undergraduate Inquiry

Rahimi’s experiences led him to co-found the Journal of Undergraduate Inquiry,  a student-run journal the publishes undergraduate students’ works about science, medicine, humanities and the arts. 

With his collaborators, Rahimi hopes to build a space where undergrad students can be inspired by each others work and continue the pattern of paying it forward that has been a hallmark of his experience at the university.

“Overall, my time at the University of Calgary exposed me to a mosaic of disciplines, cultures and experiences. In every setting, I see people thrive when they are presented with an opportunity for personal growth and surrounded by encouragement,” says Rahimi. 

“Each triumph happened because someone ahead on the path paused long enough to teach me and challenge me.” 

Ryan has been admitted to the MD program at the University of Calgary and starts his new journey in July.