Voices

Shrenik Shah Became a Finalist for the Community Cultivator Award in the 2025 Social Health Awards

Shrenik Shah/LinkedIn

Aug 24, 2025, 10:42

Shrenik Shah Became a Finalist for the Community Cultivator Award in the 2025 Social Health Awards

Shrenik Shah, Patient Ambassador and Moderator of Fridays with Shrenik Live webinar at the Indian Cancer Society, posted on LinkedIn:

“Not every recognition looks like the ones we imagine.

A while ago, I received an email that made me pause. It wasn’t a client, not a speaking invite, not a conference panel.

It was a note from the world’s largest healthcare social advocacy platform in the USA—Health Union.

The subject line read:

‘Congratulations on becoming a Finalist for the Community Cultivator Award in the 2025 Social Health Awards.’

I’ll be honest. I froze for a second.

Me? Out of thousands of advocates around the world?

But here’s what I also knew:

This wasn’t about me alone, it was about the communities I represent.
Recognition only matters if it amplifies the collective voice, not just the individual one.
Awards are not the end of the road, they’re reminders to keep going.

Now here’s the part that matters most to me.

Titles, trophies, or finalist badges are meaningful. But what’s more powerful is what this recognition represents.

It represents the long nights of writing, speaking, and showing up for people who sometimes feel invisible.
It represents the power of stories—messy, raw, healing stories—that bind communities together.
It represents every person who has ever said, ‘Because of your voice, I didn’t feel alone.’

Instead of distance, there is belonging.
Instead of silence, there is advocacy.
Instead of despair, there is hope.

This finalist badge is not just mine. It belongs to everyone who has trusted me with their story, and to every advocate who keeps showing up even when it’s hard.

Because real impact doesn’t come from perfection.
It comes from connection.
And it comes from the belief that social health is built when no one feels abandoned on their journey.

September 12 is just a date. But today, I’m celebrating the community that made this recognition possible.”

Shrenik Shah Became a Finalist for the Community Cultivator Award in the 2025 Social Health Awards