Alger scholarship awarded to ‘beacons of hope’
Erazmo Popovic has his hands full, from managing a small business focused on sustainability by refurbishing sneakers to staying on top of International Baccalaureate classes.
Any spare time he has left is spent helping out around the home.
Popovic’s hard work was rewarded Tuesday when he was named one of 170 recipients of the Horatio Alger scholarship, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of high school students across Canada who face adversity accessing postsecondary education.
“I remember walking home from school and receiving the call, and I have never been this quiet in my life,” he tells the Star.
The $5,000 scholarship is based on financial need and merit, a net household income of $65,000 or less, and a demonstrated history of community service.
Popovic doesn’t just appreciate the funds that the scholarship provides to the prestigious club of high-achieving scholars.
“I get to surround myself with like-minded individuals and can connect with others and discuss ideas and potential possibilities,” Popovic says.
Outside of receiving funding for tuition fees, recipients are welcomed into a network of fellow scholars and leaders across various industries. They also receive an invite to the annual Horatio conference in Washington where students can discuss ideas and initiatives benefiting their communities.
Citing his penchant for environmental change and aspirations of pursuing studies in environmental engineering, Popovic transformed his passion for sustainability into a business refurbishing items such as sneakers for family and friends.
“When people need basketball shoes, and they don’t have the money, their only option is to throw them out essentially because they have holes in the soles, so their only option is to restore them,” Popovic says.
For this ambitious senior at Parkdale Secondary School, the money and connections are not just an educational investment but a means of social and economic advancement. His family escaped war-torn Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and he’s had to be his mother’s caregiver following an accident.
Isha Chaudhry, a Grade 12 student at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute, can empathize.
Being raised in a single-income household with two other siblings, discussions about post-secondary plans involved financial woes and constraints.
“I was actually afraid for post secondary, whether I was able to pay for the high amount of tuition,” Chaudhry says.
Chaudhry says the program has been a godsend for her family. Her brother, Jazab, was a past recipient and encouraged her to apply.
“What’s amazing about the program is that it shows that hard work always pays off,” Chaudhry says. “I was able to understand that throughout all four years of my high school, being so passionate about my academics, making sure that (my marks were) always over 90, and always being involved in extracurriculars pays off and shows that perseverance matters.”
The connections from the program, Chaudhry says, are extremely beneficial to her as a young female in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“I want to be able to expose STEM courses to younger girls in the community because I understand that computer science and the field I’m going into is very male dominated,” she says.
Chaudhry has mentored and tutored young girls in areas such as artificial intelligence and coding, and was involved in student council as treasurer. She has also pioneered an intersectional mental health awareness initiative in her community, focusing on adversities and challenges faced by women of colour.
Chaudhry has plans on studying business or computer science, applying to the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Popovic plans on continuing his environmental advocacy, pursuing environmental studies, choosing between the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia.
Opening doors of opportunity, the Horatio Alger scholarship sparks a sense of ambition and hope in these young changemakers.
“In a year unlike any other, it is a privilege to award scholarships to 170 remarkable students who have faced adversity and strived to overcome it,” Prem Watsa, president of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada, said in a news release.
“Horatio Alger scholars are selected based on their commitment to furthering their education and giving back to their communities. They are beacons of hope for us all in these trying times.”
The program was established in 2012 by members of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada, and has since awarded $8 million in scholarships to 1,338 deserving students.