Last month, we teamed up with GrantMe to award a deserving student with $1000 to help fund their education. Students had to submit photos showing us how they support others in their community — along with creating a free account with GrantMe — and in the end, we received hundreds of applications from students across Canada. We saw and read a ton of inspiring stories from students who are doing great things in their community — it truly warmed our hearts to see so much good being done across the country. Out of all the applications we received, both of our teams chose Nandini, a grade 12 student from Winnipeg, for her work cleaning up littered single-use masks in her community. A year into the pandemic, Nandini realized that all of the disposable masks unsafely littered throughout her neighbourhood were dangerous for unsuspecting seniors, pets and kids. In March 2021, she started her own “Let’s clean-up our community” drive, targeting mainly school grounds, sidewalks, streets, bus stops and parking lots. In one week, she conducted clean-ups in her neighbourhood for an hour every day and ended up filling over a dozen garbage bags full of discarded, single-use masks, along with empty sanitizer bottles, dirty facial tissue papers, plus needles and syringes (that they safely discarded in sharp disposal containers).
I am glad I was able to give hope and boost people’s morale in my own small way during these tough COVID times
She ended up receiving a ton of support from her neighbours, who were keen to join her, as well as donate supplies like garbage bags and PPE in support. Together with her family, the clean-up drive is an ongoing initiative that she still continues today.
In her application, Nandini expressed how her clean up project demonstrated true leadership and problem-solving skills and we couldn't agree more. As companies who value student success and the importance of looking out for those in our community, we believe she represents our shared vision.
I am resilient. I do not allow problems to pull me down. I take action to deal with adverse situations. No matter where I go, I will take these values with me, and will find a way to help others in my community.
After graduation, Nandini plans to become a computer engineer, with applications soon going out to McGill and the University of British Columbia. She'll be using this award to help fund her education and we are so proud to be able to support her journey.
Want to know about upcoming scholarships or giveaways? Follow @artonagroup and @grantmecanada on Instagram
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