Meet the inaugural Werklund scholarship winners

Paying for a post-secondary education is one of the biggest pressures students face.

Imagine, then, how a $20,000 scholarship relieves the financial burden for an undergraduate student who is taking his or her first steps into higher education. The same is true for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars; being recognized for excellence and receiving financial support can make a real difference in carrying on important research and scholarly work.

For seven students and a postdoctoral scholar, that recognition and support became a reality when they were awarded inaugural Werklund scholarships, named for David P. Werklund, who donated $25 million to the University of Calgary in November 2013 to enhance learning opportunities for current and future teachers. Last week, the scholarship recipients attended a reception to celebrate their commitment to education.

Undergraduates recognized for community engagement, scholarship | Learn more

Their paths to the education profession are as diverse as they are.  One student comes from a family of teachers, another comes to Canada as a young immigrant. Another is battling an incurable disease, and still another has conquered her own educational challenges.  They’re six very different young people, yet the undergraduates selected to receive the inaugural Werklund Community Engaged Scholarships all show a passion for education as well as a commitment to community.

Marisa Vigna, Danielle Taylor, Anisha Mawji, Jennifer Froelich, Katelyn Shhehan, and Diana Alvarez will each receive $20,000 over the course of their undergraduate education degree, allowing them to continue both their studies and their volunteer commitments.

“A key philosophical aim of our undergraduate program is promote community engagement,” explains Dianne Gereluk, associate dean of undergraduate programs in the Werklund School of Education. 

“We believe these individuals who are committed to community engagement from the outset in meaningful and diverse ways will make outstanding teachers.”

“We’re so proud of these six young people who have been selected for the first of the Werklund Community Engaged Leadership Scholarships,” says Werklund Dean Dennis Sumara. 

“Each one of these students exemplifies the qualities we look for in our educators — passion for teaching, strong work ethic, and a sense of responsibility to their communities, however defined.”

Doctoral fellowship recognizes exceptional research | Learn more

The Werklund Doctoral Fellowship enables an exceptional new scholar working in the Werklund School of Education to consolidate their research training, to develop and initiate original research, and to participate in Werklund School of Education strategic academic initiatives and activities.

Carol Johnson has been awarded the inaugural Werklund Doctoral Fellowship; her research focuses on how formal music education can be sustainable and accessible through effective teaching using current learning technologies.

Seeking to share the gift of music, Johnson has expanded her music education influence to areas throughout Guatemala, Peru and Argentina as she helped establish two music schools, a music library and musical instrument donations for rural students in Latin America.

Postdoctoral fellow trades Harvard for UCalgary | Learn more

As one of the fastest growing cities in the country and increasingly a destination for immigrants, Calgary provides the perfect incubator for examining the challenges and opportunities in immigration and integration.

In the Werklund School of Education, the dual emphasis on youth studies and diversity has set the stage for a research project which will focus on learning more about immigrant youth and their experiences as they integrate into Canadian society — how they build relationships in their schools and among their peer groups and how they then integrate into greater society.

On the team for the project is the first Werklund School of Education Postdoctoral Scholar, Xu Zhou.

Born in China and educated in her homeland, in Canada and the United Sates, Xu Zhou brings a unique, multi-faceted perspective to the project.