Gordon Bell students earn U of M scholarships

When it comes to future leaders, Gordon Bell High School is leading the way. 

Gordon Bell students Sadaf Saberi and Graydon Kirkness will receive the 2021 BMO Financial Group Leaders of Tomorrow scholarship from the University of Manitoba. 

Nine students received the annual award, with Kirkness being one of three students to receive the 2021 Indigenous Leader of Tomorrow scholarship. 

Saberi and Kirkness join Gordon Bell graduate Aya Alshareh, who won the prize in 2020. The scholarship is valued at $16,000, allocated over four years of study. 

“Aya, Sadaf and Graydon are the most amazing human beings and we are so proud of them,” said Natalie Thompson, Gordon Bell counsellor. 

“They shine at Gordon Bell. They’re authentic and hardworking and their futures are so bright.” 

Coincidentally, all three students are pursuing degrees in engineering. 

Saberi plans to study civil engineering, because of her interest in designing water systems and improving access to water for communities. 

Saberi grew up in war-torn Afghanistan, before finding refuge with her family in Pakistan. She came to Canada in October, 2018. 

In Afghanistan, Saberi opened a free tutoring centre in her home for local children and volunteered as an English teacher, risking her own safety while travelling to and from school.

That determination didn’t diminish at all when arriving in Winnipeg.

“I learned AutoCAD by myself because I knew engineers need AutoCAD,” said Saberi, speaking of the drafting software used by engineers and architects. 

“I improved my math skills and I learned drafting on my own using YouTube videos.” 

Alshareh, a current U of M student, is already in the Price Faculty of Engineering and plans to go into the Civil Engineering program. 

A Syrian refugee, Alshareh lived in Lebanon for four years before immigrating to Canada with her family in December, 2016. 

“It was a bit of a struggle at first, as English is not a first language back home and mine was very limited,” Alshareh said. 

“Within three years, I studied in a Canadian high school and graduated with a scholarship and now I’m at the U of M studying in the Faculty of Engineering, so that’s a big achievement for me.”

At Gordon Bell, Alshareh was active in sports, including soccer and badminton. She also participated in the school’s public speaking group. 

“I was involved in many clubs at Gordon Bell, which made it easier for me to get to know other people and get involved in other activities as well.”

Like Alshareh, Saberi had to work hard to overcome that language barrier when arriving in Canada. Fortunately, she’s also the type of person that dives right into new experiences. 

“I would say I’m a person who loves to try new things,” Saberi said. “I started loving poetry when I came to Canada. When I have free time I try to read poetry or write a poem. I love drawing and painting, as well as crocheting, knitting and embroidery. I do graphic design and I love coding and using HTML to make websites. There are so many things I’m involved in.”

Kirkness, who is Cree, plans to study mechanical engineering at U of M because of his passion for physics and mathematics.

“It amazes me how numbers work, especially physics. It’s fascinating to me how things move,” Kirkness said.

Despite his quiet demeanour, Kirkness is no less a leader, having founded an Indigenous student committee at Gordon Bell. 

“It’s sort of safe space for Indigenous students, where they can study and get tutoring if they want it,” Kirkness said. “We also held an event for Orange Shirt Day last year, as well as a big, fun Halloween event.”

“It’s also an opportunity for me to improve my leadership skills, because I’m a generally shy and quiet person.”

All three students will bring some welcome diversity to the field of engineering. 

A recent report (https://engineerscanada.ca/indigenous-engineering-in-canada) commissioned by Engineers Canada found that Indigenous people are underrepresented in engineering occupations. 

And it’s been widely reported that women, especially women of colour, are underrepresented in STEM fields.

“We’re breaking that chain,” Alshareh said.