Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
(WBZ) -- A Fitchburg High School graduate is heading to Harvard University, but before she starts her college career, she’s helping others do the same. Verda Tetteh is getting a full ride to Harvard. At graduation, she was awarded an additional US$40,000 scholarship for books, computers and living expenses but she turned it down.
“No one had the chance to say ‘Don’t give away $40,000,” Verda said. She chuckles about it now, but the 17-year-old dropped jaws at Friday’s graduation ceremony.
“Yes I would do it again,” she said.
What the straight A student did was win the school’s coveted scholarship for general excellence, $10,000 for each of the next four years, only to unexpectedly return to the podium within minutes to turn it down.
"It is such a great honour, but I also know that I am not the most in need of it,” Verda said at the graduation.
Verda — who is Harvard-bound with a bunch of other scholarships — suggested the money go to a struggling fellow student or students, for whom it might open a door to community college.
“I’m excited to see who it helps and how that changes their life, so I am so happy that God gave me the strength to do that,” Verda said.
A standing ovation followed some moments of reflection for Verda, during which she heard the assistant principal urge grads to be “bold and selfless” and that made her think of her mom, an immigrant who often works 80-hour weeks to provide for her family.
Verda’s mom brought her to the U.S. as a child from their native Ghana, always stressing the importance of education. In fact, her mom Rosemary earned her bachelor’s degree from a local community college, at the age of 47, which is why she is so proud of her daughter’s spontaneous decision.
“Now I’m 100-per cent sure she is ready to go into the world on her own,” Rosemary said.
“I feel like you know God has gotten me this far and he will take me the rest of the way,” Verda said.
The details of who now gets her scholarship haven’t been worked out, but as Verda tackles her pre-med regimen at Harvard this fall, even if she comes up a few bucks short here and there, she’ll know she did the right thing.
“Whatever happens, someone else needed it more,” Verda said.
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Hours before the final, Dutch contestant Joost Klein was dramatically booted out by organizers over a backstage incident. He had failed to perform at two dress rehearsals on Friday, and contest organizer the European Broadcasting Union said it was investigating an "incident."
From London, to Mildmay, Collingwood and St. Thomas, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
A man who was accused of sexually and physically assaulting a woman had his charges dropped in April, just weeks before he was set to stand trial in Toronto, due to a lack of judges in the region.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.