“A just and sustainable future is one where all children and youth are given the opportunity to flourish. Let’s build that equitable future together by creating a world where all young people are empowered to achieve their dreams.”
Joshua Borja
TOP 30 UNDER 30 HONOUREE | 2026
About
PROFILE SNAPSHOT
AGE: 21
PRONOUNS: He/Him/His
HOMETOWN: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
ORGANIZATIONS:
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- Children’s Health Advocates (CHA)
- Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation (ACHF) / Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI)
- Stop Addicting Adolescents to Vaping and E-cigarettes (SAAVE)
- Nutrition, Exercise, Learning for Youth (NELY)
- Humanity Auxilium
- Flourishing and Inclusive Health Research (FAIR) Lab
- International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)
- Scholars Academy, University of Calgary
- Children’s Health Advocates (CHA)
GLOBAL IMPACT FOCUS (SDGs)
I am most passionate about:
What specific issue(s) are you working to address, and what motivates you to do so?
My work focuses on improving child health and wellness, with an emphasis on mental health and the social determinants of health. I am driven by the understanding that health outcomes are shaped not only by biomedical factors and individual choices, but also by broader socio-structural influences such as income security, access to care, social support, and the environments in which young people grow. SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being) guides my activities and career goals, especially as I pursue projects that aim to help all children and youth thrive.
I am particularly interested in how social determinants influence mental health outcomes and inequities among children, adolescents, and young adults. During my first research studentship, I analyzed nationally representative Canadian data to examine the impact of pandemic-related stressors on youth mental health. We found that young women faced higher rates of poor mental health and greater vulnerability to stressors such as financial difficulties, loneliness, work stress, and barriers to health care. These findings highlight how social and economic factors can compound risk.
In addition to my academic work, I am committed to leadership, public service, and advocacy. As Co-President of the Children’s Health Advocates, I lead over 450 student members in promoting child and youth health through fundraising, volunteering, and advocacy. Our partnerships with the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and other organizations address youth mental health, nutrition, and access to care. I also co-founded Humanity Auxilium Students, leading humanitarian and advocacy efforts for displaced populations, and serve as a board member of Stop Addicting Adolescents to Vapes and E-cigarettes, where we advocate for policies that protect youth from nicotine addiction.
My motivation for this work is deeply personal. My family faced financial challenges that limited access to opportunities many children take for granted. These constraints shaped decisions about education, extracurricular activities, and financial stability, showing me that opportunity is not equally distributed. I learned early that potential alone is not enough; young people need supportive social and economic conditions to succeed. While I was fortunate to benefit from living in Canada, as a Filipino immigrant, I saw significant differences in access to health care, social support, and living conditions between Canada and the Philippines. Canada’s social, economic, and political environment often leads to better health outcomes, while the Philippines faces persistent poverty, food insecurity, high income inequality, corruption, climate vulnerability, and threats to human rights. These experiences reinforced my belief that good health is not just the absence of illness, but also the presence of conditions that allow children and youth to feel secure, supported, and hopeful.
What are the ways in which you curate connection?
Building connections is foundational to my leadership, research, and advocacy. I intentionally create opportunities for people from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to collaborate in addressing health inequities.
Locally, I foster connections through my leadership with Children’s Health Advocates. I unite students from various academic backgrounds at the University of Calgary to co-design and lead initiatives focused on child health, including mental health, nutrition, and chronic diseases. I also facilitate networking between students, clinicians, researchers, and other child health professionals. CHA partners with community organizations across Calgary to address social determinants of health. Globally, I build connections through Humanity Auxilium Students by linking Canadian students with humanitarian and health initiatives abroad. Through fundraising and advocacy, I collaborate with students and global health leaders to support displaced and marginalized populations.
I aim to create environments where young people and students can actively contribute to advancing child health and wellness. At CHA, all events, campaigns, and initiatives are co-designed with a diverse team of student leaders. Our outreach is evidence-based, with advocacy priorities set monthly based on student input. Partnerships with organizations such as the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation ensure our programming meets the needs of children, youth, and young adults across Alberta. I am committed to shared decision-making, with each campaign planned collaboratively and guided by CHA’s top priorities and research.
What role will connection play in your future work?
Meaningful change in health systems and global development does not happen through isolation, but rather through relationships grounded in trust, humility, and shared purpose. Epidemiologists use the term synergy to describe how the combined effect of two or more factors on health outcomes is greater than the sum of their individual effects. This can be attributed to development work, where connections give rise to synergy, such that the combined effects of collective action are greater than the sum of individual effects when people act alone. Throughout my career, I aim to synergize my work through collaborating with and harnessing my networks to drive meaningful change.
As I pursue a career as a leader in public health, I am committed to building relationships among researchers, clinicians, policymakers, educators, and young people themselves so that solutions are informed by robust evidence, which includes lived experience. This approach reflects my belief that those most affected by inequity must be active participants in shaping the responses to it. Connection is also essential for creating lasting change because it shifts development work from doing things for communities to working with them. The most meaningful connections are not transactional, but relational and formed through listening, shared decision-making, and mutual accountability. These connections allow different forms of knowledge to coexist, including scientific evidence, cultural knowledge, and lived experience, strengthening both the relevance and sustainability of interventions.
I believe connection can drive a more inclusive and just future because it drives collective responsibility. When people across disciplines, sectors, and communities are connected by a shared commitment to advancing equity, we are better equipped to address upstream determinants of health and create environments where children and youth can truly flourish. In my future work, I hope to continue cultivating spaces where harnessing connections is the foundation upon which meaningful and lasting change is built.
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