HORATIO ALGER ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
85 persevering students awarded scholarships

The Horatio Alger Association of Canada, a charitable organization dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles, unveiled the 85 students chosen to receive its post-secondary scholarships on January 17.

The winners include five recipients of the $10,000 Horatio Alger National Entrepreneurial Scholarships, awarded to students who demonstrate a desire and ability to be entrepreneurial in a chosen field, and 80 Horatio Alger Canadian Scholarships valued at $5,000 each.

Prem Watsa, the President of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada and a Member of the organization since 2012, congratulated this year's winners.

"This was a stand-out year for our Association in terms of the number of applications received and the quality of the applicant pool. Choosing winners was a difficult task. We have an outstanding group of 85 scholarship recipients and we are honoured to help them as they strive to overcome adversity and obtain a good education," said Mr. Watsa. "On behalf of the Members of the Horatio Alger Association, I want to congratulate them all."

Horatio Alger scholarships are awarded annually to deserving high school and CEGEP students in financial need who have overcome significant adversity while demonstrating strength of character, strong academics, a commitment to pursuing higher education as well as a desire to contribute to society.

Funds can be used for both post-secondary vocational or university studies. Since 2012, over $3 million in scholarships have been awarded to 601 deserving young Canadians.

The Association received thousands of applications from coast to coast to coast, with each submission confirming the necessity of these needs-based scholarships:

• The average annual family income of the recipients was $25,145;
• 51% of the scholars experienced abandonment by a parent or guardian;
• 45% suffered from physical, mental, or sexual abuse;
• 40% faced drug or alcohol abuse in the household;
• 25% experienced disability or serious illness;
• 19% faced the death of a parent or guardian;
• 12% experienced the incarceration of a parent or guardian;
• 8% are wards of the state or in foster care;
• 8% have faced homelessness.

Nevertheless, 60% of them manage to work during the school year and the average recipient maintains an exceptionally high grade of 89%.

For the complete list of the five Horatio Alger National Entrepreneurial Scholarship recipients and the 80 Horatio Alger Canadian Scholarship recipients, please visit www.horatioalger.ca/en/2018-canadian-scholarship-recipients/.