The Asian American Group, a non-profit organization that strives to unite Asian American leaders to achieve community excellence, celebrated its 12th Community Achievement Awards at Gold Coast Hotel and Casino here Sept. 19. For over a decade, AAG has been recognizing community leaders for their accomplishments and contributions in Southern Nevada.
Notable honorees at the gala included Dr. Rajesh Shrotriya, who serves as chairman of the Board and CEO of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals; Dr. Dhiraj Narula, a cardiologist at HealthCare Partners; Raja Majid, owner of Origin India Fine Dining; and 13-year-old Zane Pasha.
Shrotriya, a winner of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, is cited for his turn-around of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. “When I moved my company from California to Las Vegas, I was welcomed by Congressman Joe Heck and offered all his help. That doesn’t happen in California,” Shrotriya said.
Narula, a cardiac electrophysiologist, has conducted first-in-man studies of the Evera MRI-compatible cardioverter-defibrillator system. His goals have always been to advance excellence in health care. “When I came to Las Vegas, this city was known to be the backwaters of medicine, and I decided to change that,” Narula said.
Majid, an England-based restaurateur, has been awarded the highly coveted Good Neighbor Award, which is given to restaurateurs who go above and beyond to support community activism. “It gives me great joy to bring a smile to someone’s face by my actions,” Majid said.
Pasha, an eighth grader from The Meadows School, received the AAG Junior Community Achievement Award, which was introduced for the first time this year. He won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for his project HeatSafe, a mobile app that alerts parents when the temperature in their car gets too hot for children or pets. “My parents really supported me on this idea. We are working with my uncle who is a software engineer to figure out how we can bring this idea to reality,” Pasha said.