Three students receive RBC scholarships

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Joo_Janice.jpg” caption=”Janice Joo, Amanda Thompson and Stephanie Tom were awarded RBC Royal Bank Scholarship Awards. Photos courtesy of Janice Joo, Amanda Thompson and Stephanie Tom.”]Nine students across Canada have been awarded RBC Royal Bank Scholarship Awards and three of them are from McMaster. The recipients of the $5,000-gold, $3,000-silver and $2,000-bronze awards were announced last month. McMaster students received awards in each category.

Janice Joo, a third-year bachelor of health sciences student, was rendered speechless when she found out she was the recipient of a $5,000-gold award.

“That week, I was ill with the flu and had lost my voice and any ability to vocalize emotion,” said Joo. When she returned a call to RBC and heard the good news, “the best I could do was give a barely audible pseudo-scream. But had I been well, my excitement may have been too much for anybody's ears to tolerate.”

In addition to her $5,000-scholarship, Joo will also receive a “personal learning experience” that she chose herself: a four-day photography workshop in Ottawa. She hopes to pursue a career as a pediatrician.

Amanda Thompson, a fifth-year co-op student in science and biochemistry, received a silver scholarship worth $3,000.

Awarding three scholarships to McMaster students “speaks volumes” about the quality of education offered by the University, said Thompson, who plans on continuing her studies through McMaster's MBA program and work in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology field.

She found out about the scholarship through studentawards.com, a website that matches students with scholarships, grants and other cash awards.

Although some students may be discouraged by the time and effort involved in applying for scholarships, the benefits outweigh the costs.

“It's totally worth it,” said Thompson. “You have nothing to lose. There are so many other people who are qualified [for scholarships], so you really need to sell yourself and everything that's unique about you.”

Stephanie Tom, a fourth-year student in Arts & Science and biochemistry, received a bronze award worth $2,000.

“I was really surprised to say the very least,” said Tom, who is also co-president of McMaster Engineers Without Borders. “As undergraduates, there is still much to learn about our respective fields, so it's incredibly rewarding to have our creativity recognized and encouraged through this scholarship.” She plans to continue her studies in infectious disease research.

The scholarships were awarded to students based on their community involvement and written responses to six essay questions.

Karen Jowett, awards officer at McMaster's Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships, encourages students to visit their website to learn about scholarship opportunities offered by McMaster as well as external organizations.

“I don't think students realize how easy it is to apply for McMaster scholarships,” said Jowett. “Everything they need is on our website.”

By visiting the website, students can find out if they're eligible for various awards. In addition to an application cover page, they need to submit an academic resume, a letter of recommendation from an instructor and a transcript. Students can start applying for McMaster scholarships in mid-February. The deadline is April 15.