Eric Hamber graduate Rosy Teed will head to McGill University at the end of next month equipped with a scholarship of up to $80,000 for four years of study.
Teed won the Loran Scholarship for her community service and leadership skills.
For the last two school years, Teed has served as editor-in-chief of Hambers yearbook and student newspaper, which she co-founded, president of the student forum, Compassionate Leadership Club and the Hamber Food for Humanity, which she founded, an officer with St. John Ambulance, a volunteer with Canuck Place Childrens Hospice, a peer tutor and a fundraiser for World Vision.
She also paddled in dragon boat national championships, participated in a model United Nations conference and, this year, played violin in her schools symphony orchestra, all while maintaining a minimum 85 per cent grade average.
Teeds mother is a family doctor and her father a personal injury lawyer. She says her urge to help others may stem from them.
"Everything [I] see makes me want to help," said Teed, a resident of South Cambie. "Myself, coming from a privileged family, theres always something I can do to give back."
Teed started the Hamber Food for Humanity baking club after she saw someone overdose in the Downtown Eastside.
She corralled 15 classmates to bake with her, asked her home economics teacher to sponsor the group, contacted the Salvation Army Harbour Light, which runs a drop-in shelter called Anchor of Hope, and canvassed grocery stores for donations of ingredients.
Now the club bakes dessert and breakfast goods every two weeks for the approximately 30 people who sleep at Anchor of Hope each night.
"It was something that, really, I had to do as a citizen of Vancouver," Teed said. "Its just one small thing that I could do, it wasnt a big stress on me, but it could help them and brighten their day and maybe show them there are people out there who cared about them and who wanted to help them recover."
Teed plans to study commerce at McGill. Shes interested in law, archeology and anthropology. She hopes to dragon boat and plans to get involved with her university and the surrounding community in Montreal, a requirement of the scholarship.
Loran awards up to 30 students a year with up to $80,000. Each award includes an annual tuition waiver, a stipend of $9,000, access to summer internships and mentorship opportunities. Founded in 1988, the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation, which awards Loran Scholars, was the first national organization in Canada to grant scholarships based on a mix of academic achievement, extracurricular activity and leadership potential.
Teed says shes given up time with friends and in front of the TV and computer to accomplish as much as she has.
"I guess its worth it," she said. "In some ways it is; in some ways its not. I wish I had gone to parties and all that stuff, but it is worth it because at the end of the day youll see that youve actually accomplished something with your life and even though Im only 18 and I havent done too much, Ive done something."
crossi@vancourier.com
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