Top Honours
Great Grads
The Colin McNairn ’56 Alumni Award of Distinction Graduate Scholarship is given to one or more departing students who epitomize the nature of service and leading by example.
Kassandra Hill ’17
Laura E. Watson ’17
AMONG HER EXTENSIVE VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES,
LAURA GRADUATES from HSC as an honour student with advanced standing in both French and Math. Her community leadership and deep volunteer ethic are evident in her roles as a leader of Hats for Humanity—a club that creates hats on looms for the homeless in Hamilton and for newborn babies at McMaster Children’s Hospital—and as a peer tutor. Laura wrote: “I remember becoming involved with service initiatives at a young age, which later developed into a lifelong passion for helping others.” Serving on the HSC Me to We Committee since Grade 9, and as co-chair from Grade 11, Laura emphasized education for children in Africa. “Together, we worked tirelessly to raise enough money to build a school in Kenya,” she wrote in her candidate essay. “Through hard work and dedication, we were able to raise in excess of $15,000. Our school room would be built and stocked with school supplies!” The Montessori Prefect in 2016-17, Laura maintained standing on the Honour Roll from 2013 and received the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for volunteering. In addition to her sterling academic and volunteer record, Laura was a key contributor to the rugby team, the Jazz Ensemble, the Wind Symphony and the Wellness Club. Laura wrote: “I will always be involved in supporting community initiatives at a local and global level, regardless of where I attend university.”
Photos by Frank Zochil
Wellness Leader
exemplifying HSC’s commitment to joy and purpose, Kassie has focused particularly on the concept of wellness. From 2015, she served as the Wellness Prefect. She planned and executed 2017 Wellness Week, oversaw the wellness “takeover” of HSC’s Instagram and Twitter accounts and created Wellness Wednesdays. She spearheaded the wellness room in Senior School’s Student Success Centre, providing “a designated wellness space for faculty and students to enjoy,” as she wrote. Her dedication to community extends far and wide. Kassie attended the Global Young Leaders Conference in 2016. She fundraised for and participated in a service trip to Kenya in 2016, which resulted in a boys’ school opening in January 2017. As co-chair of the Me to We Committee, Kassie organized HSC Mini We Day in 2017, presented at the World Issues Conference and organized the Masquerade Ball. A stalwart on the rugby team, she also delved into the dramatic arts as a performer in the musicals Cabaret and Grease and as a volunteer at Senior Music Night and Arts Night. Holder of The Centennial Graduating Class Award, Kassie wrote: “I have always enjoyed leadership and taking initiative, so I am sure that no matter where life takes me, I will continue to carve my own path and constantly work towards bettering the world around me!”
Passionate Volunteer
Kassandra Hill
Laura E. Watson
SPRING 2018 | 47