Millar Western Leadership Awards help exceptional students attend U of A
In 1989, Millar Western made an endowment to the University of Alberta with the aim of helping young people pursue higher education. Since then, a total of $1,895,500 has been provided to 672 students through Millar Western Leadership Awards.
The awards, for students entering the U of A from high school or transferring from other universities, are granted to those with a record of excellence in both academics and leadership, as demonstrated through involvement in their schools and communities. Though endowed by Millar Western, the awards are administered and recipients selected by the U of A Awards Office.
The value of the awards has increased over the years, from the $1500 granted to the first students to the $3500 awarded to each of this year’s recipients. The number granted each year varies, but in recent times has generally been in the range of 30 students per year.
The students who have received Millar Western scholarships cross all fields of study and come from varied backgrounds, but all have at least one thing in common: they work hard to strengthen their communities.
Jennifer Lee just completed her first year of studies in the Faculty of Science. She credits the Millar Western award with helping her to continue volunteering when she started university. “These awards stress the importance of leadership involvement and giving back to the community,” she says. “Receiving this award encouraged me to stay involved, despite my hectic life as a university student.”
“The most important thing I have learned this past year,” says Chelsea Morin, “is how much time and effort is needed to succeed academically. It was such a blessing to receive a leadership award from Millar Western. Many young people would not be able to afford school without this kind of support. I’m so grateful to be here.” Chelsea is an engineering student who hopes to be accepted into the mechanical biomedical stream in the fall.
In endowing this award, Millar Western hoped to expand opportunities for promising students in the communities where our employees lived and worked, as well as elsewhere across Alberta. The impact of these awards has grown to far exceed early expectations, helping hundreds of exceptional young people start their futures at the U of A.
The attached photo, provided courtesy the University of Alberta, shows Millar Western Leadership Scholarship recipients Jennifer (Hamey) Lee, Taha Hassan, Chelsea Morin and Madiha Mueen.
