SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Ryley MacWilliams, a Grade 12 student at Kinkora Regional High School, was excited when he learned he is a recipient of a Horatio Alger Association of Canada scholarship.
He’d been sitting at the kitchen table, crafting a grocery list with his mother, when he received the email.
“I was kind of shaking, and I … could barely stand,” he said. “Then we had a small kitchen party. It was a really happy vibe for the moments after.”
MacWilliams was one of 160 Canadians to be awarded the $5,000 scholarship. Winners were determined by financial need, involvement in co-curricular and community activities and overcoming adversities.
For MacWilliams, his adversity was his parents' divorce when he was young, which MacWilliams said came with a lot of uncertainty.
Determined to “step up his game", MacWilliams got a second job for this summer, working as a page in the legislative assembly in addition to working at the Esso in Borden-Carleton.
In addition to his jobs, MacWilliams can be found donating his spare time to the community.
He’s a junior firefighter with the Borden-Carleton fire department. He’s participated in and organized fundraisers. He’s helped out with community events like Christmas and Remembrance Day and volunteered with organizations like United Way and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“I feel like if people don’t volunteer, we’re going to miss out on a lot of opportunities,” said MacWilliams. “If nobody’s going to step up to the plate ... then it’s just going to go without, which I don’t think it's acceptable.”
“I feel like if people don’t volunteer, we’re going to miss out on a lot of opportunities. If nobody’s going to step up to the plate ... then it’s just going to go without, which I don’t think it's acceptable.”
- Ryley MacWilliams
MacWilliams hasn’t decided whether he’ll study biology at the University of Prince Edward Island or biomedical sciences at the University of Ottawa. He does know, though, that he’d eventually like to attend medical school.
The scholarship, MacWilliams said, means financial stability while in university. He didn’t want money to have to be the factor that determined whether or not he would continue his education – now, he has one less thing to worry about.
“It’s gonna take a lot of the stress away, from paying for books or supplies or whatever,” he said. “I think it’ll help me focus more so on school than having to work.”
Erica Park, Grade 12 student at Three Oaks Senior High was another Island winner of the scholarship. After high school, she'll be studying biology at UPEI.
“It means a lot to me,” she said. “It shows that I’ve gained a lot of strength from my adversities, to be able to talk about them.”
Park was raised by a single mother, and, like MacWilliams, fit the requirement for financial need. Her mother, she said, was always supportive, especially after her grandmother died two years ago.
“It was super hard, especially being in high school and still having to do schoolwork,” Park said. “But my mom was there.”
Outside of class, Park had spent time volunteering at Summerside’s Wedgewood manor in grades 10 and 11. She’s also helped with the Salvation Army’s Christmas kettles and lends a hand at the school whenever she can.
“It makes me feel happy, to know that I’ve contributed to my community and to see the smiles on other people’s faces. It’s always been important to … make other people feel good about themselves.”
- Erica Park
Currently, she’s a member of the youth board at Prince County Hospital.
While still unsure what career she wants to have after her post-secondary education, she knows she wants to use her degree to help people in whatever ways she can.
“It makes me feel happy, to know that I’ve contributed to my community and to see the smiles on other people’s faces,” said Park. “It’s always been important to … make other people feel good about themselves.”
Kristin Gardiner is the Journal Pioneer's rural reporter.
