Maha Al Fahim, who wrote Born a Gangster's Daughter at age 14, is passionate about the role of education in ending social ills such as child abuse, discrimination, and criminality. She is honour roll student, student council president, and one of the youngest people ever to have been admitted to the Vancouver Youth Parliament. A tireless volunteer, Maha has tutored children with special needs, helped seniors and the homeless, and has taken a leadership role in an organization promoting cycling in her community.