An Ottawa high school student is celebrating after receiving one of the country’s most prestigious awards. Kaylee Gagné from École secondaire catholique Paul-Desmarais, won the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship from Queen’s University. “When I first got it, I couldn’t believe it was real. I kept checking the email, like, who was it sent from. I checked it like 30 times. Finally, I realized, ‘oh my goodness, it’s legitimate,’” Gagné said. “It was honestly just disbelief. I was getting into the car, and I just looked at my inbox and then, the title of the email was, ‘oh, you have received the scholarship.’ I was like, ‘this can’t be true.’” Gagné said her excitement grew and the scholarship is a testament of her hard work paying off. “I had to write a couple, short little essays. I had to film a video. I had to share my grades. It was about the quality of your essays, your grades, but also your leadership experience, whether it be volunteering or working,” said Gagné. The award recognizes academic excellence, leadership, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. Gagné says she is thankful for those that helped her on her journey to achieving the scholarship, a support system that includes family, friends and teachers. “We’ve never had a Schulich leader nomination win the Schulich Scholarship. This is really our first time. We’re quite proud of Kaylee and what she’s accomplished,” said Nicolas Paiement, Gagné’s guidance counselor. Matthieu Gohier, Gagné’s social studies teacher, said he was honoured when she asked him to write a recommendation letter for her, calling her “a brilliant, brilliant student.” “I had rarely worked with a student who is so gifted, but at the same time, worked really well with others. She was open minded, but just extremely curious as well,” said Gohier. Gagné was also part of the school’s Environment Club and Gohier said she was always ready to lead all sorts of initiatives. “She was involved in the projects that we were following up on. Just lots of great stuff with Kaylee, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving in the many years that I’ve been teaching than Kaylee for the scholarship. I’m really happy that she approached me and asked me to write this letter,” said Gohier. Gagné will study engineering in a four year program at Queen’s University. “I was leaning a bit towards, engineering chemistry, which is different than chemical engineering. It’s actually the only program of its kind in Canada. It’s offered by Queen’s because it’s dually accredited. Meaning at the end you can go on to become both a chartered chemist and an engineer,” said Gagné. After her studies, Gagné has big aspirations for her career. “I’ve always been really passionate about the environment, so I really want to do something that allows me to have a positive impact on the environment and maybe help working towards a solution for climate change, using engineering,” said Gagné. The $120,000 will cover tuition, other school fees and room and board, leaving Gagné to fully focus on her studies
