[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/millennium-scholars-07.jpg” caption=”The 2006 National In-Course Millennium Scholars are (front row) Caroline Weisser, Nicole Findlay, Kristi Prince, Melodie Phillips and Giselle Chin. Back row: Jonathan Borrelli, Layli Sanaee, Whitney Smith, Frank Myslik, President Peter George, Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Robert McNutt, Stephane LeBlanc-Senior Awards Officer, Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, Jennifer Lenestour, Vasudha Gupta and Gregory Saito. Absent are Stephanie Kay, Minji Kim and Lori-Anne Noyahr. Photo by Robert Tatlock. “]A reception was held at Convocation Hall last night to honour an exceptional group of McMaster students who have demonstrated community involvement, leadership and academic excellence. The students are recipients of the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation's 2006 Excellence Awards

Alia Sunderji, a first-year arts and science student, received the 2006 National Excellence Award for her academic achievement and commitment to making the world a better place through extensive volunteer work.

“I've enjoyed working with many outstanding youth and feel extremely lucky to be a recipient of the award,” said Sunderji. “I appreciate the opportunity to meet other youth from different parts of the country, since they are my greatest motivation and inspiration.”

Last summer, she traveled to Kigali, Rwanda and Zambia as part of Light Up the World, a program that brings solar-powered lighting to rural areas. She also works on the CBC Radio One show GO!, volunteers with Engineers Without Borders and is a member of the Varsity Fencing Team.

“We know we have great students at McMaster and the Millennium Scholarships are one of the key ways of recognizing all that you have accomplished and all that you dream to achieve,” said President Peter George.

Fifty-one students received entrance awards, 15 received national in-course awards, and 32 received retained awards.

“I'm confident that the students we're honouring here today are the innovators of tomorrow,” said President George. “You will lead us to new discoveries about how to make our world and our society sustainable, healthier and more effective at making sure everyone has a chance to reach their full potential.”

Kim Finlay, communications officer at the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships, said the scholarship recipients “represent the 'whole student' experience at McMaster. They have made contributions to the McMaster community and their own communities, and have shown exceptional leadership qualities while maintaining the highest standards in academic achievement. They are truly great ambassadors for McMaster.”

Finlay encourages students to apply for scholarships that recognize their academic and non-academic achievements. Scholarships look good on a resume when applying for jobs or post-graduate programs such as medical and law schools.

Since the awards were established in 1998, a total of $1.5 billion in bursaries, awards and scholarships have been awarded to post-secondary students across Canada. Each year, the Foundation distributes more than 1,000 entrance awards and up to 1,200 national in-course awards.

Entrance awards are for students beginning their first year of post-secondary education. National in-course awards are for students already enrolled in a post-secondary program. Retained awards are for students who previously won an award and who met the criteria to have the award extended. The awards are worth between $4,000 and $20,000.