Five students awarded Horatio Alger scholarship
Niagara scholars among those selected to receive $5,000
The Horatio Alger Association of Canada has announced the recipients of its post-secondary scholarships — five Niagara students were among those selected.
The Horatio Alger Association of Canada is a charitable organization that awards need-based scholarships annually to deserving students across Canada who have financial needs and persevered through adversity.
Two of the students selected are from Welland: Cassidy West and Jessica Gingras.
West, who currently attends Notre Dame College School, hopes to study integrated science at Mcmaster University this fall.
“This was a long process,” said West. “I kind of lost faith. I thought I wasn’t selected.”
“When I found out, I was relieved,” she said. “I applied for four or five scholarships, and this was the one that I wanted.”
West hopes to use the fund to cover the cost of tuition, books, residence and a laptop.
Gingras, who attends Welland Centennial Secondary School, was unavailable for an interview.
Two of the students selected are from Niagara Falls, Émilie Blondin, who currently attends A.N. Myer Secondary School, and Josephine Cirillo, who attends Saint Paul Catholic High School.
Blondin, who is still deciding what university she’ll attend in the fall, hopes to use the money to overcome financial barriers often associated with post-secondary studies.
“This award will provide me the opportunity to focus on my school and less on the cost of attending school,” said Blondin. “I am grateful to the Horatio Alger Association for giving me this opportunity.”
While Blondin has yet to determine what school she’ll be attending, she has settled on becoming a professor of archeology.
Josephine Cirillo, who attends Saint Paul Catholic High School and Malak Matus, who attends Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in St Catharines, was unavailable for comment.
The charitable organization awarded 160 scholarships. All recipients will receive $5,000 each. They also issued 10 scholarships valued at $10,000 to students with a desire and ability to be entrepreneurial in a chosen field.