While many scholarships reward excellence in academics, students applying for the Sir William Stephenson Scholarship (SWSS) and Dr. & Mrs. Roderick Hunter Scholarship (RHS) must also present to a panel of community trustees, sharing how they plan to dedicate their future careers to making a positive impact in their community, in Canada, and beyond.
"Sir William Stephenson had a huge financial impact on the university and Dr. Hunter, as a former UWinnipeg Chancellor and Board of Regents Chair, also contributed in significant ways to its governance," says Jim Oborne, one of the four trustees charged with choosing the recipients each year. "It is an honour as a trustee and as a recipient to be associated with this history and heritage."
Each year, the trustees review multiple student applications for each of the two prestigious awards and then decide on a shortlist of candidates they want to interview in person. The interest from students for these two awards is exceptionally high as the SWSS awards two students with $9,000 each, and the RHS awards two students with $4,500 each.
This year, Thomas Hepworth and Melody Hutton were awarded the SWSS, with the RHS going to Mackenzie Zacharias and Leeza Goldberg. In addition to being some of the highest value awards at UWinnipeg, the SWSS also comes with some extra prestige thanks to Sir William Stephenson, the person the scholarship was named after. He was a soldier and spymaster best known by his wartime intelligence code name "Intrepid" who many consider to be the real-life inspiration for James Bond.
"I've wanted to win this award since I first started at UWinnipeg," says Hepworth. "When I was younger, I read Camp X, which is a novel based on Sir William Stephenson's work as part of Allied intelligence during the Second World War. To finally receive this scholarship in my final year of study makes me truly proud of the work I've put into my academic career this far."
Post-graduation, fourth year UWinnipeg physics major Hepworth will be one of only six Canadian students selected by the national Institute for Particle Physics to join the groundbreaking research taking place at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
"The exceptionally strong competition for these awards each year speaks to the excellent quality of our students and illustrates how our outstanding academic programs have supported their development," says Dr. Todd Mondor, President and Vice-Chancellor. "Each of this year's award winners has a unique and inspiring story, and we all look forward to seeing how they will continue to make a positive impact in the lives of others."
Dr. and Mrs. Roderick Hunter recipients
Leeza Goldberg is a neuroscience major and has worked for the past few years in Dr. Wijenayake's UWinnipeg Molecular Biology research lab identifying specific extracellular vesicles in breastmilk and the way these nanoparticles affect development in infants. She also volunteers as the social media manager for the STEM Peer Mentorship Program (SPMP) that helps new students navigate university life. She also serves as a judge in the Brain Bee, an academic competition where high school students compete using their neuroscientific knowledge.
MacKenzie Zacharias is currently working towards completing her double Honours in Criminal Justice, and Women's and Gender Studies. She volunteers with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Manitoba (EFS), with the Tell Me a Story initiative, recording the voices of incarcerated women as they read chapters from children's books for their loved ones at home. She also volunteers for the Women's and Gender Studies Students Association, helping to rebuild it after the pandemic. After graduating from UWinnipeg, MacKenzie plans to complete her Masters in Social Work at the University of Toronto.
Sir William Stephenson scholarship recipients
Thomas Hepworth is a physics major and one of only six Canadian students selected by the national Institute for Particle Physics to join the groundbreaking research taking place at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). While there, he worked in the Antimatter Factory for the Baryon Antibaryon Symmetry Experiment, analyzing the magnetic moment of both protons and antiprotons to search for differences exhibited in matter and antimatter. He's also president of the Physics Student Association and helped to establish the Physics Student Association Award. After graduating this summer, Thomas will head to the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics at Heidelberg University in Germany.
Melody Hutton is an honours biology student an ultra-marathon runner, who ran in the 2024 Run the Peg 100 marathon fundraiser in support of N'Dinawemak Resident's Place, a 24/7 low-barrier space for individuals experiencing homelessness. She's also volunteered as a mentor for the STEM Peer Mentorship program (SPMP) helping new university students, and assists Dr. Jennifer Jeffrey as a laboratory demonstrator. She is also a fourth-year representative serving on the executive committee for the Biology Student Association. She studies medaka, a freshwater fish species, as a member of Dr. Caleb Hasler's Fish Biology and Conservation lab.
Sir William Stephenson Scholarship
This scholarship, established in 1984 by Sir William Stephenson through The Winnipeg Foundation, is awarded annually to one or two students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, superior leadership qualities on or off campus, and the potential to make a valuable contribution to Canada.
Dr. & Mrs. Roderick Hunter Scholarship
This scholarship is established in memory of Dr. R.O.A. Hunter, third Chancellor of The University of Winnipeg, and his wife, Doris Hunter. It is awarded annually to one or two continuing, undergraduate students with high academic standing, outstanding leadership qualities, and significant extracurricular involvements on campus.
