WHEN Niyousha Bastani starts university in September, she will be able to focus on her studies without the financial stress that burdens many postsecondary students.
The Grade 12 Handsworth secondary student was recently awarded the TD Scholarship for Community Leadership, worth $70,000. She is one of 20 recipients across Canada, selected from 3,000 applications.
"I was very excited and honoured, but also surprised because it's just not often that your hard work gets recognized like that," Bastani says.
The TD scholarship is awarded to students in their last year of high school who demonstrate academic excellence and a dedication to improving the community.
Two years ago, Bastani founded Up, a social justice and environmental club at Handsworth.
"Our vision is to close socio-economic gaps in our community by redistributing resources available to us so that everyone in our community can have access to some similar opportunities," she says.
The club has led clothing and food drives to support Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, mentored Grade 8 girls starting high school, and recently organized a recycled bicycle project, which saw students collect used bikes from North Shore residents, refurbish them and donate them to underprivileged elementary school students.
Bastani says she takes a leadership role in the community to pay forward the positive mentorship she has received over the years.
"I've learned a lot from other leaders in my life and I just feel like it's a cycle that I'm contributing back to," she says.
She plans to use her scholarship money at McGill University, where she will study general arts and hopes to major in literature. The TD scholarship includes up to $10,000 for tuition and $7,500 for living expenses each year. Recipients are also guaranteed paid summer employment at the bank.
Before diving into her freshman year, Bastani plans to take the summer off to visit her sister in Boston and travel to Spain.
Visit tdcanadatrust.com to learn how to apply for next year's TD Scholarship for Community Leadership.
