Waterloo region high school students who want to study commerce at Saint Mary's University in Halifax have the opportunity to earn a $50,000 Sobey National Innovator Scholarship thanks to a new partnership between the university and KW Legacy, a local charity group dedicated to providing scholarships to students in financial need.
Officials from Saint Mary's were at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge on Wednesday to announce the scholarship, which is the largest available at the university, and now guaranteed to go to one Waterloo region student.
The scholarships are valued at $50,000 over four years of study, $20,000 for the first year and $10,000 in each subsequent year.
Peter Kalbfleisch, a board member with the KW Legacy Scholarship, said the 10-year-old organization's goal has always been to provide opportunities to students in need who demonstrate community leadership through various activities.
Formed by friends who are all St. Jerome's alumni, KW Legacy has raised nearly $1 million from golf tournaments and other charity events to provide more than 95 scholarships to deserving students.
The partnership that now guarantees a local student will receive one of the scholarships evolved from the group's relationship with St. Jerome's almnus Dan Seneker, assistant vice-president of enrolment and university registrar at Saint Mary's.
Seneker said the scholarships were initially only open to undergraduates in Nova Scotia but were expanded across Canada by the Sobey family to provide more students the opportunity to study at what is considered one of the top business schools in the country.
"They don't necessarily have to be the best and brightest," Seneker said, but all applicants are considered for their strong leadership values and entrepreneurial spirit.
"Adding more students from the KW region to the Atlantic Canada mix is a great opportunity to learn, share and grow between provinces and regions," said Kalbfleisch in a press release.
The Sobey scholarships at Saint Mary's were made possible through an $18 million gift from the Sobey family, the Sobey Foundation and Sobeys Inc.
The successful local applicant will receive one of 10 renewable entrance awards available nationally for the Bachelor of Commerce program at the university's Sobey School of Business
Students interested in the scholarship at Saint Mary's must apply by March 1.
