J.H. Bruns student wins Schulich scholarship

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This article was published 22/07/2019 (2505 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

J. H. Bruns Collegiate has never had one before — but 2019 graduate Nika Martinussen changed that.

She is the school’s first-ever recipient of the prestigious Schulich Leader Scholarship, a distinction that carries with it a $100,000 financial award and the opportunity to pursue an undergraduate degree at a participating Canadian university.

Nika is in distinguished company, one of 370 national Schulich Leaders since 2012 when the scholarship was established by businessman and philanthropist Seymour Schulich to encourage students with special skills and acumen in STEM programming (science, technology, engineering, and math) and entrepreneurship.

Schulich chooses “the best and the brightest Canada has to offer” and covers their university expenses so that “they can focus their time on their studies, research projects, extracurriculars, and entrepreneurial ventures.”

Nika’s process began when she submitted a short paper to the Bruns student services team about why she wanted to be a Schulich scholar. As the school’s candidate, she completed an application that asked for her three greatest accomplishments and an essay about her hopes and aspirations for post-high school life.

Every Schulich scholar needs a high academic average. No problem here — Nika earned the Governor General’s award at the 2019 convocation ceremony, indicative of the school’s top academic average over the past two years.

Nika’s application was supported by some remarkable work this year, including a project that organized a clothing drive ,collecting hundreds of jackets, pants, hats, scarves, mitts and boots for St. Therese Point First Nation, a remote community located in northeastern Manitoba.

In May, she spent a week at St. Therese Pointe, where she learned that J.H. Bruns and St. Therese youth had similar “dreams, hopes, and warm hearts.”

An altruist at heart, Nika hopes to one day establish ann engineering consultancy that specializes in domestic and international humanitarian engineering projects, spurred on by her engagement with Indigenous communities in Manitoba.

The Schulich award will go a long way in helping her realize her “dream of attending the University of British Columbia where she will have access to ground-breaking scientific research, international experiences, indigenous engagement, and diverse networks.”

Bruns teacher Lisa Burton believes Nika has inspired the school to believe “that our purpose in life is to use our gifts in the service of others.”

The Schulich Foundation expects that its scholars will change the world.

We look forward to Nika’s contribution to this daunting challenge.

For more information, visit www.schulichleaders.com

Adriano Magnifico is a community correspondent for St. Boniface. You can contact him at amagnif@mymts.net