Each year the Scholarship Committee awards one four-year tuition scholarship of up to $10,000 a year. The scholarship is open to outstanding students graduating from the two main Toronto School Boards, who demonstrate financial need, academic excellence, leadership, and significant community service, and who will be attending a college or University in the Greater Toronto Area. This scholarship program makes post-secondary education possible for impressive young people who might not otherwise be able to continue their studies due to financial circumstances.
Our 2021 winners are Gabrielle Cuff and Rachel Ma. Gabrielle is pursuing a Bachelor of Political Science at University of Toronto with plans for a graduate degree in Law. Rachel will be studying at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She intends to obtain the Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Toronto.
The Scholarship Committee is proud of the success of our winners. They have proven that they are champions. Joshua Harrison-Maul was awarded the scholarship in 2019. He has graduated from Centennial College with a diploma in Mental Health and Addiction. Hshmat Sahak, also a 2019 winner is currently pursuing a degree in engineering at the University of Toronto.
Despite the extraordinary obstacles presented by the pandemic, the 2020/21 Scholarship Committee members Don Brooks, Barbara Thomson, Richard White, Sarah Hui, Joseph Tubbs, Sean Stephenson, and Suzanne Boggild committed to the goal of awarding the 2021 scholarship. I would also like to acknowledge our Board Liaison Director James Statham.
Special mention must be given to Don Brooks and Barbara Thomson who have moved onto other Rotary pursuits. They have given selflessly of their time over the last several years to the Scholarship Committee, its members, chairs, and the students. They were tireless advocates for the students, providing mentorship and support. We are looking forward to the new Rotary year and the opportunity to positively impact the future of a deserving high school student.
Pauline Lyons, Chair
Scholarship Committee
Rachel Ma - our 2021 Scholarship Winner
Rachel is a curious student who resists apathy and strives to leave positive impacts. She is a leader, who takes initiative, is reliable, and fosters openness and new ways of working. Rachel is thoroughly involved in her community and known for her professionalism and approachability.
She volunteers in her church’s kids’ ministry as a teacher and mentor to toddlers. She deeply enjoys language-learning and various crafts. Her current and ever growing language database includes French, Mandarin, Shanghainese, and ASL.
In her tenure at A. Y. Jackson Secondary School, Rachel excelled in academics and extra-curricular activities. She has been a constant excellence honour roll student, maintaining above a 90 percent average every year. Her average in the grade 12 was 98 percent.
Rachel will be studying at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Her experiences with mentoring young children have revealed a great deal about both the brightness of youth and the unfortunate adversity that many children face. In her future, Rachel plans to work through inequities in the justice system, extend goodwill, and make empowering change. Rachel intends to obtain the Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Toronto. Eventually, she hopes to work in law in the public interest with a focus on underprivileged groups (such as children and immigrants).
In her free time, Rachel strives to adorn smiles on people’s faces by filming and editing videos of their travel adventures and competitions. She also enjoys creating music with her friends.
Gabrielle Cuff - our 2020 winner
Gabrielle wholeheartedly believes that having an education is key in life. For that reason, she has always taken her education seriously and strives to put forth her best efforts throughout her academic career. Over the years, she was honoured to be the valedictorian of her graduating grade eight class, continuously making honour roll in high school, and she graduated high
school with distinction and a subject award in World Issues.
As she embarked upon her post-secondary journey last year, she was also able to complete her first year at the University of Toronto as a Dean's List Scholar and with an overall GPA of 3.75. She looks forward to achieving a 4.0 at the end of her second year.
Gabrielle has decided to pursue a career as a lawyer. She is desirous of obtaining an internship opportunity that will provide her with valuable experience.
Hshmat Sahak – 2019 Scholarship Winner
Hshmat is a third year Engineering Science student at University of Toronto and a recipient of the 2019 Rotary Club of Toronto Scholarship. He was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship of Excellence Award by the Applied Science and Engineering Faculty of the University of Toronto at the end of first year, and received The Second Garnet W. McKee-Lachlan Gilchrist Geophysics Scholarship, which is awarded to the student who ranks second in second-year Engineering Science. He is passionate about machine learning and robotics research, particularly developing novel robot control and learning algorithms, as well as testing these models in real life simulations. He sincerely appreciates the support of the Rotary Club of Toronto who value higher education and who have gone above and beyond their duty to reach out to their communities and change the lives of students for the better.
Joshua Harrison-Maul - another 2019 Winner
Joshua is a Rotary Club of Toronto Scholarship recipient who has just graduated from the Addictions and Mental Health Worker Program at Centennial College with High Honours. Due to COVID-19 Joshua adapted to the online world of college for his second year in the program. Now graduated Joshua earned an overall 4.3 GPA in his major as well as in his minor in Indigenous Studies. Moving forward Joshua has achieved a full-time position in Clinical Operations at Telus Health. He will be saving earnings to fund further education to achieve a Bachelor of Arts in a discipline related to Addictions and Mental Health. Joshua has persevered through online college learning showing the resilience that he has had since he received the scholarship from The Rotary Club of Toronto in 2019. With the Scholarship Joshua learned how to be a mental health professional and will be able to practice some of those skills at his new job with Telus Health.
Past Meetings
Last Friday our How We Hobby Speaker was Jay Llave and we heard from Past president John Fortney as to how he had spent his summer. No John, we haven't forgotten you. Cuso gave our Impact Report - see below.
We heard from Archivist Carol Radford-Grant about the 100 year history of the TTC.
The Members Exclusive Segments and some of our President’s Cocktails are on your Google Drive under the “All RCT members” shared drive.
IMPACT REPORT
The Club and Foundation work together to have an impact. Here is a recent example from one of the organizations…
Cuso Working in Peru
Cuso International is a Canadian-led International Development organization committed to ending poverty and inequality around the world. We work with local partners to improve economic opportunities for all, enhance women’s and girls’ empowerment, and advance gender equality. Cuso shares skills to help build sustainable futures through professionals who volunteer their time and provide their knowledge. We reach millions of people through our programs in 11 countries across the globe in Africa, South America and Central America, the Caribbean and in Canada’s Northwest Territories.
With the generous support of the Rotary Club of Toronto’s donation from the International Service Committee, Cuso was able to distribute 40 Emergency kits during the beginning of the pandemic to the most vulnerable women and their families involved in Cuso’s Women’s Voice and Leadership project in Peru. The Emergency kits addressed immediate needs of food and sanitation and included feminine hygiene products, soap, chlorine, toilet paper, and masks for families.
On behalf of Cuso International and the 40 families who benefited from the Rotary Club of Toronto’s generosity, thank you!
The annual District 7070 Foundation Walk will be held in Trenton on Sunday September 26th. Covid Protocols will be followed with different groups in morning and afternoon.
Just a week ago we all remembered the sad events of 9/11. Below is a link about a story how powerful the Rotary is, and what difference we make by our diversity, our network, our feeling or accountability and being people of actions. A "Feeling of Special Pride" tells how the Rotary Club of New York took action after the attacks at the World Trade Center.
