Leah Oh, of Coquitlam, and Martin Zylka, of Port Coquitlam will start university in the fall with a lot less weight on their shoulders.
The 2024 Tri-City high school graduates will instead be able to focus on their education after receiving five-figure scholarships in recognition of their hard work and efforts.
Last month, the Cmolik Foundation, based in B.C., unveiled Oh and Zylka as two of 20 students to earn $45,000 each from the charitable society's latest round of post-secondary education grants.
Since 2008, the annual funding has aimed to empower young minds while supporting their education goals, mentorship and healthy development.
"In addition to providing students with the funding to realize their dreams, the [Cmolik] Foundation provides students with a mentor, a supportive community of scholarship peers and alumni, as well as access to ongoing special events and professional opportunities," the foundation said in a news release.
Oh will grace the halls of UBC in Septemberto begin her pursuit of a Bachelor in Science degree. Her career aspirations include a researcher or medical doctor.
Simply put, the Centennial Secondary grad said she wants to help others.
"My goal is to attend medical school to help patients, contributing to the healthcare system either in a hospital setting to help patients or in a lab researching cures for cancer."
"One of Leah’s greatest strengths is her worth ethic," added Centennial teacher Jodie Eaton about Oh.
"Her attention to detail and wiliness to put in time and effort to attain results that truly represented her best work was far above that of her peers.”
Zylka, meanwhile, has chosen to enrol Douglas College's Physiotherapy program in the fall with a plan to transfer to UBC down the line for Kinesiology.
"I’ve selected this area of focus because I have a passion for athletics," the Riverside Secondary grad explained.
"I’ve always been interested on how the human body functions, and how we athletes can prevent severe injuries from occurring."
"He always enters training with a grin, bringing all of his teammate’s joy and delight," added Shawn Agnew, Zylka's coach with Premier Soccer Academy in Pitt Meadows.
"He treats the coaches with his full respect, always listening, focused on his work, and keen to learn new skills. To sum up, Martin is a wonderful individual who has shown his strong, positive traits. He has boosted the teams’ morale with his great attitude, and his phenomenal efforts."
For more information about the Cmolik Foundation and its scholarships, you can visit its website.
