Brooks Thoring, 2007 Garfield Weston scholar

From a young age, Brooks Thoring (Upper-Year 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.”

After completing his degree there in mechanical engineering technology, Brooks took on a summer job with an agricultural machinery manufacturing company in Frontier, Saskatchewan. This led to a full-time position as a project engineer at the same firm. Heavily involved in research and development, Brooks’ mechanical curiosity is thoroughly satisfied. “I really enjoy my job,” he notes, “and am very grateful for all the opportunities the company has given me despite being such a young and new employee.”

Outside of work, the church is a major part of Brooks’ life. While in college, he was involved in a Bible study group and played guitar and piano with a church-based group. He also tutored struggling first-year students. This kind of engagement was spurred on by receiving the Garfield Weston Award: “It gave me a new drive to use my time to encourage and invest in the lives of others.”

Brooks continues to do just that in his new home of Frontier. He leads a Bible study group for local high school students, inspired by the support he received himself as a youth. “I always appreciated people that gave of their time to spend with me when I was in high school,” he remarks. “I started doing this for that very reason, but it has become so much more…Just listening to these kids and sharing my life with them is so rewarding.”