The meeting celebrated our Rotary Club of Toronto scholarship award winners. As a little background history, our scholarship program was launched as part of our Centennial year celebrations. To celebrate our club’s 100th anniversary, the Rotary Club of Toronto Charitable Foundation gave away One Million Dollars in our community. It did so through 10 gifts of $100,000 each. One of these gifts was used by our club to fund a community scholarship, initially in partnership with the Toronto Argos.
The inaugural scholarship was awarded in 2012. With the tremendous success of the scholarship, our Club and the Foundation have continued to support the scholarship which now will cover tuition costs up to $15,000 per school year for four years of study. Totaling over $60,000 in funding per student over 4 years of study.
This scholarship program makes post-secondary education possible for young people who might not otherwise be able to continue their studies due to financial circumstances. It is open to outstanding students graduating from the two main Toronto School Boards.
The program was led by Sergio Amaltller. Sergio thanked those on the scholarship committee, Joseph Tubbs, Krystyna Benyak, Natalie Lewin, Jane Fitzgerald, Pauline Lyons, Geoffrey Huck and Richard White. Sergio shared his heartfelt experience of contacting the scholarship winner and how they were both emotional and crying. It is great to hear the impact our scholarship can have financially and how we also assist our scholars as mentors.
We heard from past winners Hshmat Sahak (2019), Gabrielle Cuff (2021), Rachel Ma (2021) Veronica Luo (2022), Sawjana Rafique (2023) and the newest scholarship award winner, Nira Roberts (2024). They each shared successes, challenges, and their resilience on their educational journeys.
Hshmat Sahak shared his successes in Engineering Science and Robotics and an impressive 3.99 grade point and 95% average as he now pursues his Masters at the Institute of Aerospace Studies working on visual navigation of drones and using state-of-the-art models to improve the perception and planning modules of a mobile robot. He was grateful for the scholarship and mentorship he received which allowed him to focus on his studies.
Gabrielle Cuff was speaking to us for the 4th time at our luncheon. She has successfully completed her Bachelor of Arts was recognized as a Dean's List scholar, for the fourth consecutive year. She is currently working at First National as an Associate Analyst and is diligently preparing for the LSAT as she pursues her goal of becoming a lawyer to make meaningful impact in the legal field. Rotary’s investment in her has changed her life forever.
Rachel Ma recalled how she cried when Pauline Lyons called her to award her the scholarship. She is completing her program in Commerce at Rotman with an incredible 3.99 GPA. She has been able to have amazing experiences at U of T with exchanges at Sciences Po in Paris and competing in Dragon Boat races in Italy winning 3 silver medals.
Veronica Luo shared stories about her studies as a Major in Psychology and how she gives back to her school community through clubs. She is working towards acceptance into the psychology specialist program which is her goal. Admission is very competitive but she is focused and driven by a career path that she believes will be very fulfilling.
Sawjana Rafique gave a most entertaining talk about her studies and we learned about Math 135 in her first year at the University of Toronto . A toxic relationship with Math 135 was understandable! She was able to overcome those challenges and made it on the Dean’s List as she pursues her studies in a double major in Genetic Fundamentals & Application and Criminology & Social Legal Studies. As her journey continues into her second year, she is focused on maintaining her Dean's List standing. She is also excited to learn and have new experiences.
Our newest Scholarship winner Nira Roberts then took to the podium - Nira is a successful graduate of York Memorial Collegiate Institute. Just one week ago she began her university journey at York University and is doing a BSc in Biology (Biomedical Science). Her career goal is to work in anesthesia. She is passionately driven to assist patients, aiming to address their medical needs with respect, compassion, and patience. She expressed that receiving the scholarship was a significant personal milestone, representing much more than just financial support.
Congratulations to all the Scholarship recipients past and present and we look forward to welcoming them back in the future scholarship lunches!
Written by Kevin Power
