Mark Grosjean Memorial Award

Young man, old soul, unforgettable legacy 

When you ask Dr. Cheri Stanzeleit, MD’91, and Adam Grosjean what motivated them to create a scholarship and travel bursary in their son’s name, they’ll respond in turn with a question: “Can we just talk about Mark?”  

Indeed. In talking about Mark Grosjean for even a moment, his parents’ immense grief and enduring love illuminate everything you need to know about the poignant nature of creating a legacy that helps others excel.  

Mark graduated from UCalgary in 2017 with an honours Bachelor of Arts in political science. On March 12, 2018, an hour after accepting a coveted spot in the University of Toronto’s Direct Entry PhD program, he blacked out while skiing a familiar run at Panorama with his parents and died instantly.  

“We’d had such a fabulous morning together,” says Adam, who describes his son as “lovely, affectionate, and a brilliant and humble academic who would never let on to anyone the range and depth of his achievements.”  

Certainly, Mark’s interests and experiences were wide for such a young person. He was the only member of the UCalgary Jazz Orchestra not in the music program. He travelled and lived abroad, spoke French fluently, and, reflective of his old soul and Luddite leanings, read newspapers at the breakfast table every morning. The family’s living room contains a collection of his most treasured books; marginalia in Hemingway novels and Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning are precious evidence of Mark’s intelligence and joie de vivre.  

Their son’s exuberance for life and learning moved Adam and Cheri to set up the Mark Grosjean Memorial Award for Conference Travel, as well as the Mark Grosjean Memorial Scholarship in Political Science.  

“We knew immediately that we wanted a legacy that would represent what was most important to Mark,” says Adam. Mark had high expectations of himself and of those around him but, says Adam, “he never demanded more than one could do. His guiding principle was, ‘If you can, you must, and if you can’t, you try.’” 

Contribute to the Mark Grosjean Memorial Award

In honour of Mark's legacy, these scholarships recognize excellence in Political Science by providing the financial conditions to enable recipients to focus on studies and take up related academic opportunities.