Moving on, heading east

Times Reporter 

 

High school is over for a few hundred students in Strathmore and Wheatland County, and now comes the decision of what to do next. Many know where they will go next; some may take a year off, some will dive right into college or university, and others may decide to head straight into the work force. 

For Sarah McKinnon, a recent Holy Cross Collegiate (HCC) graduate, Ottawa, Ont. is in her future. McKinnon will be attending the Carleton University in Ottawa. 

“It had what I wanted out of a business program, it gives me the opportunity to learn a language and also to travel with that language. I feel that the international business program there would offer me that and give me experience with moving and travelling throughout Canada and seeing what else there is out there,” said McKinnon. 

Not only was she accepted to the school of her choice, but she was also granted one of 10 prestigious Chancellor’s Award scholarships for $30,000, which will be distributed over a period of four years. 

McKinnon knew she wanted to go out east, and when she found Carleton and learned more about their business program she quickly had her heart set on attending the school. 

McKinnon and her mom Teri were ecstatic when they found out she is a recipient of the scholarship.

“I was incredibly excited. I had been checking my profile on their site for probably a week, because they gave me a timeline for when you should hear. I had been checking, and checking, and checking and it showed up on my Carleton profile and I actually didn’t believe it for a second,” said McKinnon. 

“We are so proud of Sarah, to be recognized and selected by a program as prestigious as Sprott School of Business is a huge accomplishment.  Moving her to Ottawa will be both exciting and sad, at the same time, but it affords her the best education and career opportunities,” said Teri. 

McKinnon was well known for her part in different extra-curricular activities. She volunteered with the 25-hour famine, took a class with Dead Philosophers Society, the Science Olympics, and was also a part of the Strathmore-Wheatland Addiction Team (SWAT) and Strathmore Assembly of Youth (SAY).

“I find the activities enjoyable. I loved working with SWAT, it was an incredible experience, I grew so much through it, and I think that I learned so much through them and that’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world, and the same with SAY. I think when you get involved in programs like those you get to do exciting things you wouldn’t normally do,” said McKinnon. 

Crystal Wahl, Family School Liaison Worker for HCC, spent time with McKinnon both as a student, and as a member of SWAT.

“What I saw about Sarah is that she is extremely conscientious but also very creative and self-confident,” said Wahl.

“I was not at all surprised that she would get it because I know as an HCC student that she is exceptional and just seeing how she applied herself at SWAT it wasn’t at all a surprise.”

Councillor, and SWAT member, Bob Sobol also said it was no surprise when he heard Sarah had received the Chancellor’s Award. IN addition to working together on SWAT, Sobol also got to see what McKinnon was like during her time with SAY. 

“Whether it was at these committee meetings, or watching her co-host a municipal election all-candidates forum, Sarah always impressed me with her intelligence, her dedication, her high level of enthusiasm and her great ability to work well with everyone,” said Sobol.

“I’ve said it previously, and this award only goes to support my theory, Sarah is definitely one of our future leaders and I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to meet her and work with her.” 

McKinnon plans on working throughout the summer and spending as much time as she can with family and friends. 

“(I want to thank everyone) for all the support I have had with SWAT and SAY and in my school. I don’t think I could have achieved for sure the grade point average that I have if it were not for my teachers, and working in my school activities with the philosophers and with the famine and science Olympics, that was another activity I did with them and I think they made my high school experience so awesome and I want to thank my school for how much I have been able to grow there, they were a huge part of everything in my life,” said McKinnon.