Stellar scholarships for members of the Class of 2020

Christopher Adolphe, Troy Boydell, Shaan Hooey and Kurt Karul have earned major scholarships to Canadian universities, based on academic performance and co-curricular pursuits.
“Every year, UCC is very lucky to have a share of these major scholarships,” says Katherine Ridout, director of University Counselling, who is retiring this summer after 28 years with UCC. “These four are talented, interesting boys who are all very strong students and were extremely engaged in the school community.”
 
Christopher Adolphe has been awarded the Schulich Leader Scholarship, Canada’s most coveted undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) scholarship, from both U of T and McGill. Based on outstanding leadership and academics, it’s granted to a number of Canada’s most promising students to provide them with an education in STEM and the ability to pursue the dream of becoming a pioneer in their chosen field. Adolphe has chosen to attend U of T to study engineering science, the most rigorous engineering program in the country.
 
“The emails caused me to jump right out of my seat,” Adolphe says. “I’m honoured and very excited to be a Schulich Leader. I look forward to studying machine intelligence or biomedical engineering. I want to make a meaningful impact on the world, and I aspire to be an entrepreneurial-minded collaborator in STEM innovation.”
 
Adolphe, who attended UCC for 13 years, was a head of house steward (Scadding’s), co-founder of UCC’s Duke of Edinburgh Award Program club, a mentor for Horizons, and an active member of DECA. He enthusiastically represented UCC on numerous sports teams. Having been a goalie for AAA hockey for many years, Adolphe says, “I look forward to pursuing my passion for sports at U of T and being an engaged member of the community.”
 
Troy Boydell has been granted a Chancellor’s Scholarship to Queen’s University. It’s awarded to select incoming students who demonstrate superior academic ability, creative and original thinking, and proven leadership qualities. The application required essays and a UCC recommendation, and Boydell was thrilled to hear the good news.
 
“I had to check with the university counsellor to make sure I really had gotten it,” Boydell says. “I’m super-excited.”
 
Boydell, who served as social steward and was an organizer of the annual Relay for Life cancer fundraiser, plans to study commerce at Queen’s, given his strong interest in business. He’s also planning to become involved with the Queen’s community, noting that a number of the clubs have caught his eye. “I know I’ll learn a lot in this new chapter in life,” he says.
 
The 2020 valedictorian and class president, Shaan Hooey, is headed to the University of British Columbia with a UBC Presidential Scholars Award in hand. These prestigious awards are given to incoming students who have “demonstrated academic and leadership achievements in the arts, community, athletics, and school.” 
 
Hooey will be working toward a bachelor’s degree in international economics, a program that attracted him because it combines mathematics, international development and commerce, and has a diverse international student body.

“My parents didn’t want me to go to UBC because it’s so far way, but after my mom and I visited, she admitted that it would be hard to say no to the university if you were an outdoors person,” Hooey says.
 
He will certainly be spending time outdoors, entering UBC as a member of its track-and-field and cross-country teams. Hooey has already been chosen as captain of the rookie squad, which shouldn’t be any problem for the former cross-country captain. Hooey was also heavily involved in UCC life in the Model UN travel team, as one of the organizers of the annual World Affairs Conference, as community service steward, and club head for Amnesty International. 
 
“I wanted to do everything there was to do in high school,” Hooey says. “I’ll need to learn to pace myself a little better, but I want to develop a skill set that makes me stand out in the world after university.”
 
McGill has always been the top Canadian university on Kurt Karul’s list, so he’s delighted to be the recipient of the university’s Greville Smith Undergraduate Scholarship, awarded to outstanding incoming students who have shown promise of future success and responsible citizenship. 
 
“I didn’t even know this scholarship existed,” Karul says. “The university thought my dossier looked good and shortlisted me for an award; this is something you can’t apply for. I was very honoured to receive it.”
 
The scholarship comes with a mentor in the awardee’s field of interest and the winners are also guaranteed first choice of residences, so Karul is hopeful of a place in a converted hotel located in Montreal’s downtown core.
 
He also plans to get involved in the city’s music scene, since he was a talented member of the UCC jazz band, as well as the pit band for the annual musical. He also starred in a number of UCC theatre productions, including Essay, this year’s student-directed play.
 
Despite his passion for the arts, Karul is planning for a career as a lawyer, majoring in political science at McGill.“I like political science and it will help me with my writing and reading skills, so it will be good preparation for law school,” he says.
 
Ridout is proud of these student achievements. “It’s great to see the boys heading off to so many interesting opportunities,” she says. “I hope they make the most of them, as well as take the time to give back.”
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