- Anne Finlay-Stewart, Editor
Ryan Brown, in his final year at Owen Sound District Secondary School, has been named a Loran Scholar for 2019.
The award, given this year to thirty-five "exceptional young Canadians who stand out by their leadership potential", is valued at $100,000 over four years of university. Each Loran Award includes an annual stipend of $10,000 and matching tuition waiver, access to funding for summer internships, one-on-one mentorship, and annual retreats and scholar gatherings.
The application process for Brown began four or five months ago and has included many rigorous interviews. Brown says the interviewers were not interested simply in what students had already accomplished; the Loran Scholars Foundation is looking to make an investment in the future. Supported by individuals, family foundations and corporations, the Foundation is not grooming people for jobs, says Brown, but supporting the Scholars' process of discovering and developing their individual potential and passion.
With the opportunity provided by the Loran Foundation, Brown is leaning towards attending McGill University in Montreal in International Development studies. Part of the award includes a retreat in Algonquin Park with his fellow Scholars this summer and acquiring a suitable mentor for his fall academic studies.
Brown serves as the Ontario Student Trustees' Association's Public Board President and as a student trustee for the Bluewater District School Board. He organized Owen Sound's first pride parade in 2018 and is the chair of the committee to run it again this year.
Of the twenty students who represented schools from Waterloo to Tobermory at the regional level, Brown and Ashlyn Fairbanks of Grey Highlands Secondary School went on as two of the 88 Loran finalists this past weekend in Toronto, with students from Iqaluit to PEI.
In its announcement, the Loran Scholars Foundation said “This year, we selected a record-breaking 35 exceptional young Canadians from a pool of 5,089 applicants, based on evidence of character, commitment to serving their communities, and leadership potential.
"The selection of a Loran Scholar is unique in its attention to a young person’s character. We believe that integrity, courage, grit, and personal autonomy are better indicators of overall potential than standard academic measures."
