Two UNB students, Jackson Weir and Jillian Lamb, emerged as finalists for the McCall MacBain Scholarship awards.
Being Canada’s first comprehensive leadership-based scholarship for master’s and professional studies, the McCall MacBain Scholarship enables recipients to pursue a fully funded master’s or professional degree at McGill University.
Over 730 people reportedly applied for the scholarship this year, with 132 going on to the regional interviews and 50 emerging as finalists. Jackson Weir (BSc ’21) and Jillian Lamb (BSc ’19) will participate in the virtual final interviews from March 11 to 13 along with the other 48 students from 28 universities.
Application for the scholarship can be done online and will be open from June to September 2021. To be eligible, an applicant must have Canadian citizenship, permanent residency, or refugee status in Canada, as well as a bachelor’s degree or be on track to graduate before August 2022, and must also apply directly to McGill University for at least one eligible full-time master’s or professional program for Summer/Fall 2022 admission.
Finalists are selected based on their exceptional character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength, and intellectual curiosity.
Weir is the current Editor-in-Chief of the Atlantic Student Research Journal and has been heavily involved with TEDxUNB, the Canada Wide Science Fair, and several other science communication initiatives. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in biochemistry or experimental medicine.
“I am drawn to fields of research where innovation stems from multidisciplinary approaches to solving the biggest problems,” said Weir.
Highly invested in children, civil rights and social action, and education, Lamb started a recreational program for children with complex care needs at the local YMCA. She also began a Girls STEM Up conference to encourage young women to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She graduated from UNB a Loran Scholar and aims to study family medicine or public health at McGill University.
UNB also offers scholarships to its undergraduate students, awarding $9.7 million in scholarships in the 2020/21 session. The scholarships are awarded primarily on grades, although some have additional criteria like financial need, extracurricular activities, and the high school attended.
Applicants can apply directly on their UNB e-services page and need to have completed at least 24 credit hours in the previous session, although exceptions are made for students who have participated in an official co-op and/or exchange program during the year.
The application covers the majority of undergraduate scholarships awarded by UNB. Scholarship application for the 2021/2022 session is currently open, with the deadline being April 15, 2021.