Board Scholarship Provides Student with Leadership Opportunities

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Siobhan Cadigan says 2023-24 Board of Governor’s Leadership Scholarship allows her time to gain valuable experiential learning on her journey to becoming a teacher

Headshot of Siobhan Cadigan

Thanks to the Board of Governor’s Leadership Scholarship, this year’s recipient says she can better balance a heavy classroom workload with multiple volunteer roles and leadership opportunities that are helping her reach her dream of becoming a teacher.

Siobhan Cadigan (Peter Gzowski College), a first-year student who is in the Honours B.A. program in the Teachers Education stream, says the 2023-24 scholarship is allowing her to pursue opportunities such as serving on the Ontario Student Trustee Association, volunteering in local classrooms with Special Education resource teachers, and running workshops to prepare high school students for post-secondary.

"Words cannot express how grateful I am to pursue my post-secondary education without the burden or worry of working multiple jobs to afford tuition and other financial costs associated with university,” says Siobhan.

Every year, the Trent University Board of Governors plays an important and meaningful role in students’ lives by providing the scholarship to an entering student who has shown outstanding leadership and community involvement.

The $18,000 scholarship was established in 1995 by then Board Chair Jalynn Bennett and generations of Board members continue to contribute.

“While Siobhan has always had a dream of pursuing a university education, she initially thought she would need to take a year or two off from school to financially make that dream a reality,” says Board chair Debra Cooper Burger. “I am delighted that our scholarship is helping to open doors for her so she can start at the University right away and pursue her educational dreams on her own terms and timelines.”

Would you like to support students during their time at Trent? The Trent Fund provides scholarships, bursaries, and employment opportunities.