A North Vancouver high school student has been selected from thousands of applicants as a Loran Scholar and will receive a scholarship valued at up to $80,000.
Emma Clark of Seycove secondary is one of 30 graduating high school students across Canada to be hand-picked from an initial pool of nearly 3,500 applicants by the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation.
According to a press release, winners are selected as Loran Scholars on the basis of character, service, and leadership potential to receive "Canada's largest and most unconventional undergraduate merit scholarship."
Tenable at one of 25 partner universities, the scholarship comprises a $9,000 annual stipend and a matching tuition waiver, a summer program with funding up to $8,500, a week-long orientation expedition in Algonquin Park in Ontario, oneon- one mentorship and participation in the community of past and present Loran Scholars, in total worth up to $80,000.
"These students have shown integrity, determination, and an entrepreneurial spirit through the breadth and depth of their extracurricular activities," said Franca Gucciardi, executive director of the foundation and a 1990 Loran Scholar. "These are traits that Canada's future leaders need to succeed and contribute to a thriving society."
Clark coaches swimming, soccer and basketball for Special Olympics North Shore. At school, she is president of the Model United Nations Club and captain of the netball and rowing teams. She rows with the Deep Cove Rowing Club, where she mentors younger athletes.
Seventy-three national finalists, including Windsor secondary student Ariella London, participated in two days of selection interviews in Toronto on Feb. 14 and 15. The finalists who were not selected receive a $3,000 award.
