WAKAW — A Grade 12 student from Wakaw School was one of 10 Canadian students chosen to attend an exclusive event in Washington D.C. after winning a Horatio Alger Association scholarship.
Kayla Peacock has been chosen for a scholarship after applying during her Grade 11 school year. She received notification this summer that she was selected for the University Success Program, a course focused on honing communication and leadership skills and attending a conference in Toronto.
The $10,000 scholarship is awarded to Canadian students who show perseverance and resilience through tough childhoods. Peacock said she has been overcoming challenges her whole life.
"My father, he is an alcoholic and he has not been present throughout any of my life,” she said. “(That’s) just a lot of financial burden on my mother, raising four children. After my older sister kind of finished schooling, I've kind of carried on now all the responsibilities. My goal is just eventually to be able to become successful enough where I am able to then support my mother and give her a life that she wanted.”
The Horatio Alger Association of Canada recognizes Canadians who have demonstrated perseverance and achieved significant success in life by granting them lifetime membership in the organization. Along with the International Horatio Alger Award, the Association provides post-secondary scholarships,
Peacock attended the organization’s sixth annual Excellence Gala and conference held on Nov. 19, 2024, in Toronto where she learned valuable lessons on how to stand out as a leader. There, she had the chance to meet high-profile figures, including singer Michael Bublé, and received firsthand advice on how to make meaningful connections with others.
"It was such a surreal experience,” Peacock said.
"They set up little seminars (that) you would say are like little talks. They would tell you about how to properly maintain a successful career path, so they taught you how to not get burnout,” she said.
Other sessions taught scholars how to network without being too forceful.
At the Gala itself, Peacock said she was in a room with successful CEOs and corporate executives as new Horatio Alger members were elected for being outstanding Canadian citizens.
Peacock was later informed that she was one of 10 students chosen to attend an exclusive event in Washington, D.C. from April 2-6. This all-expenses-paid trip will allow her to attend breakout sessions, listen to keynote speakers and network with fellow members of the Horatio Alger Association.
Peacock said she must have made an impact at the Toronto conference to be one of the 10 students selected for the Washington event. She is eagerly anticipating the Washington conference as it is even more exclusive.
“I'm really looking forward to it. I personally feel like Horatio has done so much for me and just made such an impact on my life,” Peacock said.
“It's so crazy. It boggles my mind that I have this opportunity and that I am known, (and) I can make a mark on society,” she added.
Peacock also received a $10,000 scholarship to help fund her studies toward a biomedical undergraduate degree at the University of Saskatchewan and St. Peter's College.
Peacock has her sights set on a career in dentistry. Her goal is to become an orthodontist and give back to her community, which has supported her.
Peacock said that one of her biggest passions is helping people and she had a different path chosen.
"Originally I wanted to be a nurse, but then I found out I was squeamish,” Peacock said.
She eventually found her way to dentistry because of her own experience having braces.
"One day I was sitting in my orthodontist's chair and I was looking around and I'm like, ‘this has improved my life in a small way, but it's so impactful at the same time, knowing that I have a nice smile and if I smile, I make other people smile.’ I want to bring people that little bit of confidence to themselves,” Peacock said.
"The way that the mouth works and everything, I think it's so interesting, so fascinating,” she said. “I love the idea of all the new technology coming out with like braces and Invisalign. It's so intriguing,”
Peacock is planning to attend St. Peter’s College for her first year of university before moving on to the University of Saskatchewan.
"Whatever gets me closer to my end goal,” she said.
Peacock thanked everyone who assisted her in getting to this step.
“It's such a surreal experience, but I want to thank everyone for listening to me, just taking the time to hear me out and see that I have dedication and I have this determination,” she said. “I love the fact that people recognize how much effort and hard work I put into this and how dedicated I am to making even just, to some people, a small difference but to others a huge difference in their life.”
