As a student in the applied communications program at Calgary’s Mount Royal College, Alla Guelber (Upper-Year W. Garfield Weston Award 2006) was very involved on campus. She served first as news editor and then as publishing editor at the campus newspaper, and volunteered with several student groups.

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For many years before entering college, 2007 W. Garfield Weston scholar Angela Musceo had been volunteering with women who have experienced violence. Moving into the assaulted women and children’s counsellor advocate program at George Brown College was a logical step in her personal development. It was, she comments, “a natural progression for me to gain the education behind the grassroots experience.”
Angela’s advocacy takes many forms. Both at school and in the Greater Toronto Area, she devotes much of her energy to supporting youth and lesbian, gay, bi- and transsexual  communities. She sits on George Brown’s LGBTQ committee, the Toronto Youth Cabinet, and the Chief’s Youth Advisory Committee; she helps out as a peer facilitator for the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children; and she coordinates a radio show for young people through Regent Park Focus.

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Brenda Schlichting (Upper-Year W. Garfield Weston Award 2006) is focused on nurturing the health and fitness of others. It was this desire that motivated her to pursue a diploma in the occupational therapist assistant and physiotherapist assistant program at Mohawk College in Hamilton, following some years of uncertainty about her career. “I wanted to get involved in healthcare,” she explains, “and working with patients in a rehab setting appealed to me as an exciting challenge.”

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From a young age, Brooks Thoring (Upper-Year W. Garfield Weston Award 2007) has been fascinated by machines and sought to understand how and why they work. It was natural for him to develop his mechanical knowledge at the post-secondary level. “I decided engineering would probably be an interesting place to start, but I didn’t really have any desire to go to university,” he explains, “so I decided to go to the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology.”

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A pilot with Wasaya Airways, an airline serving northern Native reservations, Emily Crombez (W. Garfield Weston Award 2004) credits her award with helping achieve a vital breakthrough in her career. “The aviation industry is a tough field to begin in, since every job requires experience,” she explains. “The experience I gained while completing my summer experience program led to my first job—and being employed right after graduation equals success in this industry!”

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Blessed with determination, dedication and a love of healthy living, Geneviève has founded her own massage therapy practice in downtown Toronto, where she treats a variety of clients and educates people on issues related to holistic and alternative health care. She teaches in both the massage therapy and spa assistant programs at her alma mater, Centennial College, and also finds time to utilize her translation skills in the complementary and alternative health care research unit at the college. In her spare time, Geneviève creates one-of-a-kind art works on paper and canvas.

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Justin Gray (2004 Entrance) is an aspiring jazz musician. A graduate of Malvern Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, he is completing a four-year applied degree in the jazz program at Humber College, where he is actively involved in his school and community. He volunteers as a Scout canoe tripper, youth swim instructor, and plays in a number of different bands and ensembles. He also teaches clinics. He is the founder, leader and bass player of the band Monsoon.
With funding from his national award, Justin travelled to India during the summer of 2005 to study under Shantanu Bhattacharyya, a renowned Indo jazz musician. It was a formative experience and the influence on his band’s music is clear. Monsoon has performed its unique style of Indo jazz at many venues in Toronto, including The Rex. In 2007, Justin organized a two-day Toronto international Indo Jazz Festival that brought together a number of world-class bands and musicians. The proceeds of the festival were used to help impoverished music students in India pursue education and music.
One idea from his time in India really stuck a chord with Justin: “One drop of action is better than a thousand theories.” Closer to home, he has put this philosophy into action, playing with the world music ensemble at Humber in the largest school concert of the year. The concert includes a performance by the artist in residence; this year’s artist was saxophonist and music educator Dave Liebman. Justin described it as
“the best concert that I have ever played.”
Whether at his college, at his old high school, in downtown Toronto or in Calcutta, Justin uses his muscial and other talents to better his community.

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Kevin Dunn (Upper-Year W. Garfield Weston Award 2006) never planned to return to school, but he has made the most of the unexpected change in his circumstances. Following mass layoffs at the mill where he worked, Kevin needed to obtain qualifications that would get him another job as soon as possible. For practical reasons, he settled on the industrial control technology program at New Brunswick Community College.

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Music is more than a hobby for 2007 Upper Year W. Garfield Weston scholar Mikeal Abramoff. An aficionado of the viola and violin, he has explored many aspects of his chosen instruments. He has been playing and performing for many years, and last year he discovered violins from a new perspective: that of a maker. During his W. Garfield Weston summer, Mikeal moved from Calgary to New Hampshire to attend the Violin Craftsmanship Institute. “It was a wonderful experience to expand my knowledge of this art and learn new skills,” he says. He also valued the chance to study outside of Canada: “It was a learning experience to travel to the eastern U.S. and meet new people.”

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