NIAGARA CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
BT grad receives $40,000 Schulich Scholarship

Niagara Catholic was very pleased to recently learn that a second student from the Class of 2023, Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School graduate Isaac Shaw, received a prestigious award from the Schulich Foundation.

Isaac is one of 100 mostly Ontario youth to receive the first-ever Schulich Builders' Scholarship, supporting students interested in a career in the skilled trades. Similar to the Schulich Leaders university scholarships which provides STEM and engineering scholarships to students in Schulichaffiliated schools, Schulich Builders are enrolled in programs at 10 Ontario colleges. A student at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Isaac received a $40,000 scholarship to offset the cost of his two-year program, Manufacturing Engineering Technician, Automation.

"Throughout my time at Blessed Trinity, I took any trade-related courses that the school offered, such as the construction and automotive programs," said Isaac. These courses gave me insight into different trades and the type of work, hours, pay and benefits they had to offer. I also took a cooperative program and worked at Smithville garage during this program; I took this as it was another hands-on learning experience. While all this was going on, I did research for a few different assignments and projects about different trades. I learned that a millwright is a jack of all trades, and while I was interested in many different trades, I figured becoming a certified millwright I could try out different jobs to narrow the path to the best possible job opportunity."

He continued: "Being a Schulich Builders' recipient means a great deal to me. It is still hard for me to believe that I am one of the recipients of this scholarship while there are many others that are well deserving of this award as well. This scholarship creates a huge financial relief in that I don't have to worry about student loans and debt to pay off and helps me have a foot in the door down the road when I am done with my program at Mohawk College."

The Foundation launched Schulich Business Scholarships in February, "to serve as a catalyst to help promote the lucrative and in-demand job opportunities that exist across Canada, often overlooked by parents and future students."

This is consistent with the message Niagara Catholic has sent to families for many years; that students have a variety of pathways to follow after graduation, and that trades-based college programs and apprenticeships offer students the opportunity to have viable and lucrative careers.

"Niagara Catholic has an outstanding reputation in Ontario as a leader in technological education," said Director of Education Camillo Cipriano. "Niagara Catholic offers a wide range of technology courses to students in Grades 9-12. These courses include everything from hairstyling and aesthetics to construction, transportation technology, and aviation. Students also have the opportunity to participate in Specialist High Skills Major programs. Niagara Catholic offers 15 sectors in this program, including manufacturing, horticulture, information and communications technology, and the environment to allow students to explore their interests and talents.

We are very proud of Isaac for being one of the first 100 students in Ontario to receive this very prestigious scholarship. We're sure that it goes a long way to offsetting the cost of his postsecondary education and wish him all the best in the future.