Canmore High School grad Nami Dwyer has always loved science.
As a student at Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy (OLS), Dwyer was one of four Canadian youth delegates who attended the United Nations COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai last year.
She has also led energy efficiency projects at her school.
Dwyer’s hard work, leadership and commitment have paid off.
The 2024 graduate and class valedictorian has earned a prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship worth $100,000 and offers from three outstanding schools – the University of Calgary, McGill University, and McMaster University.
“At school, science and math have always been my favourite subjects,” Dwyer told Rocky Mountain Outlook.
“And I think recently, I’ve kind of found a cross between science and math, but also leadership and community, and those are the areas I want to pursue in the future.”
Prestigious
The Schulich Leader Scholarship is awarded to just 100 Canadian high school graduates annually.
It provides financial support to students pursuing studies in STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.
Dwyer learned about her big win near the end of May and has already enrolled at McGill, drawn by the university’s world-class reputation and love of Montreal.
“The first offer I received was from McGill, and that was my dream … the Schulich Scholarship from McGill,” she said.
“I was just yelling at my parents, ‘come look at this,’ and we were all jumping up and down. It was really exciting.”
The scholarship is funded by The Schulich Foundation, founded by Canadian mining tycoon and entrepreneur Seymour Schulich.
Approximately 1,500 students are nominated annually to apply for the scholarship, which is awarded based on academic excellence, leadership and creativity, and financial need.
Luc Arvisais teaches science and math at OLS and nominated Dwyer to put her hat in the ring for the scholarship.
“There’s a lot of people that learn really well, but she is really organized, tracks everything really well and is probably one of the faster learners that we have,” he said.
Problem Solvers
Though grades are important for Schulich scholars, the ability to explore and apply textbook learning to solve real-world problems is equally important.
Dwyer excels at that. She and classmate Miriam Purnhauser, as part of OLS’s sustainability club, conducted a school-wide energy audit.
“We worked with an engineer to do the energy audit and they actually officially hired that engineer to work for the school board and cut carbon dioxide emissions,” Dwyer said.
As a result, Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools, which operates seven schools in Alberta, including OLS, hopes to save $1 million and cut CO2 emissions by 25 percent over two years.
Dwyer is the 6th OLS grad to win a Schulich Leader Scholarship over the past eight years.
The first was Luc Arvisais’ daughter, Alina, born in 2017.
The teaching and leadership at OLS produce students who are destined to become leaders!
