A local teen is gearing up for a once-in-a-lifetime education opportunity that will give her a taste of post-secondary life.
Samantha Martinussen, a Grade 11 student at Collège Stonewall Collegiate, has been accepted to participate in a month-long program offered by Shad Canada in July.
Geared for Grade 10 and 11 students, Shad provides university-level STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) and entrepreneurship exposure for a limited number of students across the country. Each year, about 1,100 students apply and the organization only accepts the top applicants.
Through an option called Shad On-Campus, students live on site at one of 22 participating Canadian universities. Another option is ShadAnywhere, which serves as a digital campus for students to participate online from wherever they’re located.
When Samantha’s mom Brenda told her about the program, she knew she wanted to get involved. She submitted her application, transcripts, resumé and three references in December.
“Shad is an excellent opportunity for personal growth, developing friendships, being mentored and exposure to my career field of choice,” said Samantha, who lives between Argyle and Balmoral.
“It shows you a different region of the country and helps you to develop a growth mindset and to grow as a person.”
She shared this sample of her artwork as part of her Shad application
At school, Samantha is an honour roll student who is involved in the drama club, leadership committee, culture club, and gender and sexuality alliance. Her employment experience is also impressive, with jobs ranging from Quarry Park summer staff to customer service representative at Stonewall Florist to general farm labourer. In the community, she has volunteered at the library and the Teulon Skating Club.
Teacher Deanna Johnson provided a letter of support for Samantha’s application. She teaches Grade 11 chemistry at Collège Stonewall Collegiate and is also a supervisor of the school’s leadership team.
“What makes Sam an excellent candidate for Shad is her creativity and problem-solving skills. Sam enjoys being challenged and is able to use her creativity to help her solve problems. She’s inquisitive and curious and is able to apply what she has learned to a variety of situations,” she said.
“She is able to look at the world through both a scientific and artistic lens, which will allow her to thrive in the Shad program. Sam is also very open-minded, a great team player and a natural leader. She values the opinions and perspectives of others and is always willing to help.”
On Feb. 5, when found out she’d been accepted, she couldn’t believe it at first.
“It took a while for it to sink in that I was going to be away from home in another province for a month straight this summer,” she said.
“Even with my nerves, I’m still very excited. I consider myself very lucky to have been chosen for this opportunity and will continue to work hard to make the most out of it.”
Successful applicants don’t get to choose which campus they attend, but they get to submit their top preferences. For Samantha, one of her top preferences is McMaster University, since her mom is an alumna. Her other top picks are Dalhousie, Memorial, Mount Allison, University of British Columbia, Carlton and York.
“I really wanted to be exposed to places I wouldn’t normally have a chance to visit so focused on the east and west coast, with some Ontario universities thrown in,” she said. “We should find out in March where we will be placed.”
She’s looking forward to creating connections and sharing experiences with fellow students as well as mentors and instructors.
“Shad is a chance to develop relationships that last a lifetime with people that you may never have met otherwise and to have unique and rare experiences,” she said.
The Shad program fee is $6,850, and Samantha will also need to cover the cost of flights, transportation, incidentals and spending money.
“I received a $500 bursary and have been saving my money from my work. I am going to try to sell some of my artwork and will hopefully come up with some fundraisers I can do at school,” she said.
“We will also be approaching community groups. If anyone would like to assist me with hosting fundraisers, it would be greatly appreciated as well.”
So far, she has raised $600. Her mom has also started a GoFundMe page called “Get Sam to SHAD university program” and has a bank account set up for anyone who would like to donate directly to help Samantha attend Shad. E-transfers can be sent to martinub@yahoo.ca.
