News Articles
2007 President's and Chancellor's Scholars
Fourteen award recipients bring academic accolades, international experiences, leadership achievements to Guelph
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| President Alastair Summerlee poses with this year's scholarship recipients. Photo by Grant W. Martin Photography |
The Lincoln Alexander Chancellor's Scholarships and the President's Scholarships are presented annually to students of academic distinction who have made significant contributions to their schools and their communities and demonstrate the potential to become leaders in society.
First awarded in 1987, the President's Scholarships are the University's most prestigious entrance awards and provide $20,000 each over four years.
The Chancellor's Scholarships were established in 2002 to honour chancellor emeritus Lincoln Alexander, a former lieutenant-governor of Ontario, on his 80th birthday. The scholarships are awarded to students who are aboriginal, persons with a disability or members of a racialized minority, and are intended to enhance student diversity at U of G.
A faculty mentor in each scholar's discipline of study serves as an academic adviser and career counsellor throughout the student's undergraduate program. As they advance through their degree programs, the scholarship recipients often become mentors themselves or peer helpers who help younger students in particularly difficult courses.
The scholarship program provides regular staff support to encourage scholars to develop their potential as student leaders and to provide information about international study, advanced degrees and other opportunities. Invariably, these students form a strong social network that for some may be the most memorable part of the program.
Recipients of both the Chancellor's and President's Scholarships were honoured Sept. 4 at a luncheon hosted by president Alastair Summerlee and Alexander. The event also recognized the contribu- tions of faculty mentors and major donors to the scholarship program.
Lincoln Alexander Chancellor's Scholars
Monique Miller
Branksome Hall Toronto
Monique was both an honour student and a student leader at Branksome Hall, serving as head prefect in her last year. She represented her school in debating tournaments, a regional world affairs conference and a provincial Model United Nations Assembly. For more than two years, she volunteered at a Saturday morning program at her former elementary school and was a mathematics tutor in another after-school program. She also travelled to Queenstown, South Africa, with an outreach project to introduce a reading buddy system in a school there.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Nonita Yap, Environmental Design and Rural Development
Nirmal Shah
William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute, North York
Nirmal immigrated to Canada just before entering high school, but he has excelled academically while adjusting to the Canadian lifestyle, becoming a leader in his school and a volunteer in the community. He is particularly interested in environmental science and was a school leader for the Ontario Envirothon teams, participated in a number of science contests and won many events in high school Olympics hosted at various universities. Last year, he was one of only 28 students in the province to attend the Ontario Science Centre school and was awarded the Toronto Biotechnology Initiative Award.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Warren Stiver, Engineering
Yvonne Yan Yun Su
Dr. John M. Denison Secondary School, Newmarket
When Yvonne learned that her high school did not have a recycling program, she started an environmental club and led it far beyond recycling to hosting community awareness campaigns and performing at other schools. She worked with the environmental organization Green Street, attended a national youth conference on climate change and appeared on the TVOntario series Skooled. Yvonne is a top scholar who tutored younger students and served on the planning committee for a York Region equity conference. She also worked in her family's restaurant business.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Claudia Wagner-Riddle, Land Resource Science
President's Scholars
Warren Dodd
Stouffville District Secondary School, Stouffville
Warren was the top student in his class and someone willing to take the kind of risk that fosters growth in the classroom. He served as a peer mediator to help resolve student conflicts at his school and participated in a program designed to foster leadership skills in the student body. He was also a member of the senior band and basketball team. Warren has worked as a tutor for children with disabilities and as a camp counsellor with disadvantaged kids. These jobs helped pay his way to Uganda, where he volunteered with a crew building a community centre for AIDS orphans.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Sally Humphries, Sociology and Anthropology
Rachel Driscoll
Chatham Kent Secondary School, Chatham
Rachel is respected by her peers for her academic achievements and her sense of fair play and mature leadership qualities. She graduated first in her class and was president of the Student Athletic Association and captain of several athletics teams, including basketball and hockey. Her hockey career began outside of school, where she eventually played for two years in the provincial Women's Hockey League and captained the local Midget AA team. Rachel also contributed to the community as a tutor with the Learning Disabilities Association and as soccer coach at her former elementary school.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Jim Dickey, Human Health and Nutritional Sciences
Alisha Fernandes
Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School, Orillia
Alisha is motivated by faith, family and friends to use her talents to help others. She wants to become a doctor and spent the summer working as a pharmacy assistant and volunteering at the Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital. Among her achievements: a pilgrimage to Germany for World Youth Day 2005, receiving the Governor General's Gold Medal for top marks in her graduating class, being selected twice to be a member of the National Concert Band of Canada and being named Young Woman of the Year by the Orillia Business Women's Association.
Mentor: Brenda Whiteside, associate vice-president (student affairs)
Melina Found
Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School, Peterborough
In addition to being a student of academic distinction, Melina served as a role model for her peers through her commitment to helping others, her determination to promote environmental awareness and her keen interest in her school's arts council. She organized fundraisers for the Youth Emergency Shelter in her community and presented workshops on HIV/AIDS. She has also volunteered outside Canada in Jamaica and Sierra Leone. A natural leader among her peers, Melina represented her school and country at The Hague International Model United Nations.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. John Kissick, Fine Art and Music
Rachel Green
Ashbury College, Ottawa
Sitting on the sidelines while recovering from a hip injury didn't stop Rachel from supporting her soccer team in an off-field role. She showed the same kind of leadership as stage manager for school musical productions, and worked for several years to help Ashbury join an international high school organization. The recipient of many academic awards, Rachel has used her talents to support the local food bank, cancer research and other humanitarian projects. She has travelled to Thailand and Costa Rica to help rebuild a school, teach English and work in an orphanage.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Glen Van Der Kraak, associate dean, College of Biological Science
Alexandra Liebich
Nepean High School, Ottawa
Alexandra is motivated by her own ability to motivate others. She's not just an elite athlete but also a swimming coach for young children and adult swimmers, not just a community volunteer but also someone who organizes other volunteers, and not just a participant in extracurricular activities but also a leader who wants other students to recognize the value of participation. Her personal ambitions are influenced by having lived in several developing countries in Africa and Asia, and her high academic achievements are inspired by a desire to advance human rights in Canada.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Maureen Mancuso, provost and vice-president (academic)
Sandra McCubbin
Bear Creek Secondary School, Barrie
Sandra has gone to the ends of the Earth to investigate climate change. After partici- pating in the 2005 Youth Climate Change Conference in Victoria, B.C., she earned a spot with the Students on Ice Antarctic Youth Environmental Leadership Expedition to Antarctica. This rare opportunity deepened her passion for science and added to leadership skills developed at Bear Creek. In addition to receiving dozens of academic awards, she has been a leadership force in a number of school organizations and sports teams. She was also a member of the Canadian Junior National Synchronized Skating Team in 2004 and 2005.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Michael Emes, dean, College of Biological Science
Erin Preiss
Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute, Kitchener
Whether in her role as a student trustee for the Waterloo Region District School Board or as an assistant coach for Kitchener-Waterloo Special Olympics, Erin goes the extra mile. She was also a member of her high school's track-and-field and cross-country teams and the Tri City Track Club, is an accomplished ballet dancer, and participated in drama club and choir. Erin completed the international baccalaureate program at Cameron Heights and worked outside of school as an intern for the Parks Research Forum of Ontario, studying heritage conservation districts.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Elizabeth Stone, dean, Ontario Veterinary College
Dima Saab
Bayside Secondary School, Belleville
Social justice is a priority for Dima, whose intellectual perseverance has made her a strong academic and a great supporter of organizations such as the Stephen Lewis Foundation and the Canadian Red Cross. She founded Bayside Beats - a registered Free the Children Youth in Action Group - and Theatre Amnesty, an outlet for students to write and produce plays about contemporary issues such as child exploitation, sweatshops and global warming. Dima also helped new immigrants learn English. Somehow, she also found time to participate in school clubs and sports, and is the coxswain on a rowing team.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ann Wilson, English and Theatre Studies
Lauren Wallace
Hill Park Secondary School, Hamilton
Self-esteem and positive feelings about oneself are keys to much of the com- munity service work Lauren has undertaken. She has tutored other students, donated her locks for wigs and facilitated self-esteem workshops for young women. She founded the Walk-in Closet to provide food, clothing and toiletries for Hill Park students in need. Graduating at the top of her class, Lauren was active in the school band, student council and fundraising events such as the annual Terry Fox Run. She dances and teaches jazz and hip hop, and was selected as one of 16 North American student volunteers to help build a school in Kenya this summer.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Donna Pennee, associate dean, arts and social sciences
Nicholas Walters
Erindale Secondary School, Mississauga
A key player in the growth and development of his high school sports teams, Nick captained the basketball, rugby and football teams and was named MVP of all three. He was twice a member of the Ontario championship basketball team and was on the provincial rugby team that finished second in the Canadian Nationals in 2006. Off the playing field, Nick has an excellent academic record and managed to clock more than 400 hours of volunteer work. Most notably, he raised almost $20,000 and travelled to Kenya to help build a school in memory of an uncle who died of cancer.
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Khosrow Farahbakh, Engineering
President's and Chancellor's Scholars are nominated by their secondary school principals. The application deadline is March 1. An information package about the nomination process, along with a nomination form, will be sent to all Canadian high schools this fall for fall 2008 applicants. Additional information is available from the associate registrar, Student Financial Services, at Ext. 56032, or by visiting the U of G website at www.uoguelph.ca.