Congratulations to Kaitlynn Chan and Edward Shen who are the recipients of the West Point Grey Community Association Scholarship.
The first recipient of this scholarship is Kaitlynn Chan. Kaitlynn has dedicated numerous hours to the community centre as a volunteer helping with all the Special Events and Day Camps over the past two years and last year took on a more of a leadership role by becoming a part of the youth council. This experience helped Kaitlynn build her confidence and she specifically found an interest in working with children in her field of interest, which is computer science and technology and for the next generation of girls. Noticing there was a gap in females in the computer science field; Kaitlynn started a Tech Opportunities Club for females at her school.
Kaitlynn is grateful for her experience at our community centre as it led to quite a bit of personal growth. Which included learning how to work with a diverse group of people in her community, different styles of communication and finding a balance between doing what you love such as volunteering but also prioritizing work and school. It is important to note that through all of these Kaitlynn worked part time at London Drugs in the photo and electronics department and will be attending Simon Fraser University starting this Fall in the field of Computer Science. She plans on obtaining a major in Computing Science and Minor in Business. We want to thank Kaitlynn for her hard work and dedication and wish her the very best with her studies and all she does. But we are positive this is not goodbye as Kaitlynn plans to continue volunteering at the centre.
Our second recipient of the scholarship is Edward Shen. Edward has devoted his volunteering efforts to the community at large. He has committed over 150 hours to Air Cadets and the gliding program at the Pitt Meadows airports, which is one of his passions and something that he plans to continue. Edward has proudly completed his glider pilot license and enjoys helping the younger cadets experience glider flights and training with them. However Edward feels that his biggest impact and most memorable volunteer work was the Alzheimer’s Society of BC. This volunteer work hit to close to home for Edward as his grandma unfortunately has Alzheimer’s. Through his work, Edward learned more about the incurable and fatal disease and formed a stronger and more understanding and loving bond with his Grandma. This fall, Edward will be attending the University of Toronto majoring in Business. His goal is to become a CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and work in the business of Aviation industry.
Thank you to both Kaitylnn and Edward for their commitment to volunteering and we wish them the very best.
*This scholarship is given away every Summer to two youth in the community who have made a difference in their community and specifically in the West Point Grey Community Centre. Applications and more information can be found on our website each April and through our Spring and Summer brochure. For youth who want to get involved in their community now, please contact Natalie Vermaas (natalie.vermaas@vancouver.ca) or fill out a volunteer application form here.