MOOSE JAW - To recognize the positive impact made by aspiring young leaders, the Conexus Credit Union has awarded six $4,000 Youth Leadership Awards to deserving high school graduates from across the province on July 9.
Jeniffer Gahaya graduated from Vanier Collegiate on June 26 and was selected from a pool of around 65 applicants.
“Conexus is interested in rewarding leadership at a young age because these young community leaders are a key ingredient in building a thriving Saskatchewan,” announced Celina Philpot, CEO of the Conexus Credit Union.
The Conexus Credit Union provides these awards to graduating high school students from across the province. Qualifying students will have made a positive impact in their community through leadership initiatives and volunteerism.
“I think what really impressed us with Jeniffer was… that sense of self-awareness and empathy that came through,” explained Peter Mayne, the Conexus Credit Union’s vice president of strategy.
When Gahaya and her family left the Democratic Republic of Congo for Moose Jaw they were strangers in a new home. In her application essay she wrote about the struggle to find a sense of belonging and said she found her place once she started getting involved in her school.
After studying English to help her father communicate better, she quickly added a volunteer role as an interpreter at the Church of God where she attends regular services.
“She sees that as an opportunity to help others feel welcomed and loved in a country they’re foreign to,” Mayne said. “She really stands out for her integrity, positivity, maturity, and sense of humility… (she is) one of those people who serves and helps others without needing to be the centre of attention.
“It was pretty easy for us to see that she was a deserving winner,” he added.
Gahaya plans to attend the University of Lethbridge in the fall and then the University of Toronto to study law. She hopes to one day serve as a Justice with the Supreme Court of Canada.
One of Gahaya’s first Supreme Court goals came from a TED Talk where a Michigan student was able to have a bill approved granting students time off when they struggle with mental health.
“I would love to just have that approved for all the other students in Canada, so they can… understand that it’s okay to take a day off and take a break when they’re struggling,” she said.
Conexus is a Saskatchewan-based credit union committed to the financial well-being of its members. Conexus’ stated purpose is to champion every member’s success to create a thriving province and the member-owned cooperative has served the community for more than 80 years.
“I would just love to thank the Conexus Credit Union and every other organization that does scholarship programs (to help) young people understand that there’s help out there and that they can achieve their dreams,” Gahaya said appreciatively.
She also gave a special thanks to Christa Lapointe, who was her high school basketball coach and career councillor at Vanier.
“It really is inspiring to see people at such a young age developing leadership and volunteering skills that are so important to who we are as a province,” Mayne said. “This province was built as was the credit union system – on the notion of people helping people.”
To learn more about the program and the six winners, visit Conexus.ca and search for “youth leadership awards.”
