2 Manitoba high schoolers win $100K scholarships for pandemic-inspired community initiatives

Two Manitobans — an aspiring lawyer and a mental-health advocate — are among 36 high schoolers from across the country who have been chosen as Loran Scholars, the prestigious, $100,000 award given annually to those who are engaged with their community, show strength of character and want to create a better world.

Nearly 4,800 students from across Canada applied for the prestigious scholarship.

The four-year program consists of summer work experiences, mentorship, scholar gatherings, an annual living stipend and a tuition waiver at one of 25 university partners. Valued at $100,000, it is the largest scholarship for undergraduates in Canada.

"It's really an honour to be a 2023 Loran Scholar," Cadena Brazeau, 17, told CBC's Radio Noon. "It's a life-changing opportunity that I'll forever be grateful for."

The teen from Keeseekoowenin First Nation in western Manitoba started the first youth centre in her community after she and a few others noticed that there wasn't much for children to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's a place where the kids can socialize, but a lot of the work that we do here prioritizes their safety and sober living for them," Brazeau said, adding that another goal of the centre is to stem food insecurity in her community by feeding children every time they visit.

"I would say it's had a really positive impact on the kids. I've heard back from a couple of them and I think a lot of them are grateful for it."

It takes a lot of stress off of my shoulders when I think about my post-secondary studies.- Cadena Brazeau

Brazeau plans to study law at the University of Calgary because "it's important as an Anishinaabekwe to pursue law, not only for the representation but to reclaim that jurisdiction over our own legal systems [and to reclaim] our sovereignty as well."

The centre's impact on kids in her community was an honour in itself, Brazeau said.

"It's really heartwarming," she said. "Sometimes it can get stressful and overwhelming, but I think the reward is much bigger than that."

The scholarship will be a "huge help" as she pursues a legal education: "It takes a lot of stress off of my shoulders when I think about my post-secondary studies."

Coping through the pandemic

Ridhwanlai Badmos, a graduating student from Windsor Park Collegiate in Winnipeg, was also selected as a Loran Scholar this year.

The Grade 12 student is the founder of Wake-Up Mental Health, a non-profit organization offering workshops in support of mental well-being. He also co-chairs his school's student council and founded the diversity, equity and inclusion council.

The pandemic struck right before Badmos entered high school. He found escape through reading, writing, exercise and art, but realized when he returned to class that not everyone had formed coping strategies.

"We were back in school and it still seemed that many people were stuck in the pandemic," he told CBC's Up to Speed.

He decided to host a series of workshops to share his mental-wellness tips with other students, and said there was a noticeable difference in the participants when they were done.

"I took them to a nearby park — and it was just an open field — and they were running around, playing tag, just overjoyed," he recalled.

"I still have that picture stamped in my memories. That was when I knew I wanted to continue doing this and helping my community in this way."

'A life-changing experience'

He was notified that he had been selected as a Loran Scholar on his birthday, but had already thanked the foundation for the nomination before he got the news.

"The opportunity that I was thanking them for was bringing together 89 amazing youth from all across Canada, and putting us all in one room," he said, adding that it gave them the chance to envision the future of their communities together.

As he enters university, Badmos says he wants to combine medicine with his love of computer science to make health care more accessible through technology.

However, he says he's most excited about entering his studies with a community of fellow Loran Scholars around him: "It's a life-changing experience."