It took a lot of hard work to get there but Rylan Marianchuk will be becoming a Dino in the fall after winning the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship for the University of Calgary.
The grade 12 Humboldt Collegiate Institute (HCI) student took an early interest in computer science which he feels played a big role in him receiving the award.
HCI does not have a computer science class so Marianchuk took it upon himself to learn what he could by visiting websites to learn how to code. Marianchuk also took a class from St. Peter’s College in his grade 12 year to expand his knowledge.
That was the key, he says, is taking learning upon yourself.
He wants to take his passion for the field and meld that with medicine.
“Bioinfomatics is a field where you use computers to study genetic sequences. The genome is very complicated so that will be interesting.”
It might have been a far fetched idea at the time, but that did not stop Marianchuk from visiting his guidance councillor and seeing if they were willing to nominate him for the scholarship.
The application process included an essay from Marianchuk and two reference letters. One was from teacher and Sr. Boys volleyball coach, David Millette.
“Rylan has always exhibited himself as one who possesses integrity, commitment, excellent work ethic, and skill,” said Mr. Millette in a Horizon School Division press release. “He consistently receives our school’s gold or silver medals, given to students who have the highest academic averages during the school year. He is a very well-rounded individual who exemplifies the virtues our school promotes.”
Many coaches and teachers have pushed and encouraged Marianchuk along the way, to which he is very grateful.
HCI principal Cory Popoff is very proud of what Marianchuk has been able to achieve.
Marianchuk took what was being offered at HCI and went over and above what was given to him.
The win is a testament, not only to the work that Marianchuk has been able to accomplish but also to the staff at the collegiate, says Popoff.
Schulich Leader Scholarships are awarded to students entering Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) undergraduate programs in participating universities in Canada and Israel. Marianchuk is one of 50 annual Canadian recipients of the award. He was chosen from a pool of 1,400 Canadian nominees.
The scholarship is worth $80,000 over four years of his undergraduate degree.
