From left, Jan Dynes (provincial board of F.E. Taylor Charitable Foundation), winner Hailey Carfantan, Kristy Reimers-Loader ( PEO member), winner Kamryn Reimer, Sheila McLeod (committee chair), and Pauline Schaan ( PEO Member).--NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
The Philanthropic Education Organization supports women in education, and since 1991 has awarded more than $10 million to women in Canada and the U.S. in pursuit of advanced degrees or study.
The Florence E. Taylor Charitable Foundation Scholarship, worth $1,000, is awarded each year to post-secondary female students in their first or second year in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The scholarship is based on financial need and a commitment to academic goals.
Florence E. Taylor joined the PEO in 1974 and, after accruing a large sum of money from investments her husband made, donated the money to the organization to promote the education of women, and the foundation was incorporated in 1998.
This year, there were three winners of the F.E. Taylor scholarship in Medicine Hat. Sheila McLeod, the Chapter J PEO 2022 F.E. Taylor Charitable Foundation Scholarship Committee chair, said, “For Medicine Hat to get three (scholarships) out of all of Alberta and Saskatchewan was really good.”
Kamryn Reimer is in her first year of engineering at the University of Calgary. She graduated from Medicine Hat High School this past June and has always loved math and science. Her first semester went better than she expected, she likes the classes, made some good friends and, while she was uncertain going in, feels now she picked the right field.
Reimer applied for all applicable scholarships during the summer.
“The Florence E. Taylor was very women focused. I liked the idea of that, so I applied and talked to these lovely ladies.”
Reimer saved money from working all through high school. She was also awarded a couple of other small scholarships and grants, but this was the largest one. Student loans cover the rest of her expenses as tuition alone at U of C is about $10,000 a year. All lectures and most assignments are done online and there was only one book to buy. Reimer explained she goes onto campus only to ask questions, attend labs and hand in the occasional in-person assignment.
Hailey Carfantan is taking physiology at the University of Alberta. Carfantan graduated from Monsignor McCoy High School in 2021 and attended Medicine Hat College for a year before transferring to U of A. She loved MHC, and her year there helped build university study skills.
“High school to university is insane. It’s a really big jump.”
Carfantan wants to be a doctor and was trying to pick something that gave her a well-rounded knowledge of the human body and how it works.
“Overall, I am enjoying it. It’s very difficult, but I’m pushing through.”
She plans to start studying this coming summer for the MCAT and plans to take the exam after her third year.
This is the second year she’s applied for this scholarship but last year her financial need wasn’t as great as she was living at home. Tuition at U of A is about $8,000 a year and all her classes are in person. She liked the female-based and religious aspect of this scholarship.
“The ladies who do the interviewing process are the nicest ever. They were so helpful with everything. It was a good experience to apply and be able to have a conversation with them once in awhile on the phone.”
The third winner from Medicine Hat this year was Eden McCarthy. For more information on this scholarship and others that the PEO offers visit http://www.peoab-sk.ca or http://www.peointernational.org.
