Click the photos to see more about each event!
Tej Nathoo
Kwantlen Park ('24)
Executive Director
You cannot experience the good without experiencing the bad, the dichotomy that keeps Tej up at night. Chocolate chip cookie in hand after purchasing groceries from Superstore, young Tej noticed a man and his dog with a sign pleading for sustenance. Perplexed and subdued, he trailed behind the crowd of families pushing carts seemingly abundant with nourishment, starkly contrasting the man’s meagre possessions. He turned to his mom as they loaded the car: “Mom, can I give the man one of our bananas?” The sight of raw gratitude and genuine human connection in the man’s eyes had Tej set on making a difference. Today, he is humbled by the opportunity The Good Guys provides to make a difference in the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness. From founding a Good Guys club at Kwantlen Park Secondary to leading the organization as Co-Executive Director, Tej takes pride in engaging his community in the mission and remains committed to pursuing homelessness alleviation efforts. When he isn't on a 3-hour Zoom call solving event logistics, Tej spends his time working at cafes, trying out new food, and taking in nature’s views at beaches and on hikes. Amid it all, Tej’s heart overflows with love and deep appreciation for his close friends and family.
Chetan Brar
Garibaldi ('24)
Garibaldi Club President
Meet Chetanbir, one of our exceptional team members featured this month. If he could be described in one word, it would be "compassionate." Chetan joined Good Guys to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Beyond school, you'll find him immersed in various hobbies, finding solace in nature. His favorite place? Anywhere surrounded by trees, offering a peaceful retreat. To unwind, a surefire way for him to fall asleep is with a good book. Chetanbir looks up to those who dedicate their lives to helping others. In the future, he envisions himself as a doctor, driven by a desire to make a meaningful difference. What does he want out of life? To contribute to the well-being of others, combining his passion for medicine with a deep sense of purpose.
Riley Tan
Garibaldi ('24)
Garibaldi Club President
Well do you want to know about Riley Tan? Well, if I were to sum him up in a word I guess I could say he is diligent because he definitely puts effort into something if he wants to achieve a goal. This leads me to the reason he got interested to want to start the Good Guys in the first place. Riley is an empathetic person who cries during sad movies and… well… pretty much during anything sad actually. So when he first encountered the Anita place in Maple Ridge (a homeless camp before the government shut it down) he also was pretty sad and wanted to change that. This led him to volunteer at a few organizations such as City Serve before his friend Chetan offered him a tantalizing deal—to co-president the Good Guys! He accepted immediately and the rest is history. Another cool thing about Riley is that he loves to play volleyball, workout, cook, make music, and hang out with friends. Surprisingly be hates homework but tolerates it anyways and gets good grades. He is SUCH a nerd though and loves psychology and how people work, which he will explain to you if you talk to him enough. He is a pretty funny person sometimes, and overall, I’d say he’s a really Good Guy (pun intended).
Ethan Gotay
Richmond '24)
Richmond Club President
Ethan Gotay is a Filipino-Chinese immigrant who has never learned to speak either language. Throughout his life, he has been extraordinarily social and outgoing, rather fearless to embarrass himself or show off in front of a crowd. Whether it be through music, games, or sports, he enjoys connecting with new people and discovering talents that he himself could attempt to learn. Aside from home, he enjoys spending the majority of his school time in various isolated places where he can listen to music or talk one on one with various people, examples being the band room or a hidden staircase. After graduation, he would ideally go on to study engineering, majoring in the Civil department while simultaneously taking Mech and Chem courses to eventually be an Environmental Engineer. He hopes to eventually help combat the effects of pollution in the oceans of Southeast Asia where he was born, and has a lengthy life plan in doing so. But for now, his lovely co president "invited" him to run a branch of Goodguys with him, which he accepted eagerly, and is quite enjoying the learning process that comes in organizing team events.
Howard Wen
Richmond '24)
Richmond Club President
Howard hasn’t cut his hair in a while now. It’s dark, lengthy, messy, and quite a sore to look at even for himself. He has been told to cut it for the longest time by his family, friends, and relatives. Occasionally, he will go to a quality barber if he starts to feel uncomfortable in his hair, but he would rather leave it alone. The hair, to Howard, is a sign of freedom. The freedom that he was never able to experience in his childhood. Constantly bound to a path not of his own; from a strict household to experiencing a country that lacked the sanctity of free thoughts. His best way of downplaying these experiences is to relate it to his hair. He would have his hair arbitrarily cut; and he was particularly sensitive of his hair, since it was what he felt like the one thing that characterized his autonomy. Now, having the leisure of his independence, he chooses to leave his hair uncut, even if it reaches his neck. Howard’s hair, for him, defines freedom. His hair is a calligraphy remark on his philosophies toward freedom. Howard wants to dedicate his life to emphasizing such freedom that he values deeply. Though there are drastically different conditions of freedom that exist, he wants to ensure, to the best of his ability, to help achieve independence and freedom within his community.