Shehraz Riar, a second-year McMaster University student, has been selected as a recipient of the Fessenden-Trott Scholarship. Riar, who is in the Honours Health Science Program, is one of four recipients accepting the scholarship this year, which recognizes academic excellence, leadership, and community engagement.
“I grew up thinking research and policy belonged only in big institutions, far from South Asian communities like the one that raised me. I imagined it was only those buildings that could change lives. I’m incredibly glad I was wrong,” says Riar, who hails from Brampton, Ontario.
The scholarships are valued at $9,000 annually for three years, or until the scholar obtains their first degree. Each year, the Fessenden-Trott scholarships are offered to a different region of Canada. Nominations were accepted from universities in Ontario this year, and each university in the province nominated one student.
“At the GERAS Centre for Aging Research and the St. Joseph’s Health System Centre for Integrated Care, Dr. Justin Lee has encouraged me to follow that curiosity into real change – whether that means listening to seniors at the bedside or pushing for policy-level change in our healthcare system. His mentorship and the lived experiences of seniors around me has shown me that research, innovation, and advocacy don’t live in silos,” says Riar.
“The Fessenden-Trott Scholarship makes it possible for me to invest fully in the intersection of medicine, academia, and policy: building a Canadian healthcare system where all marginalized seniors are heard, understood, and served with dignity,” he adds.
The Fessenden-Trott scholarships were established in memory of the late Professor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden and the late Helen May Fessenden (née Trott). Professor Fessenden was an electrical engineer and pioneer in the field of radio communication.
To apply for the scholarship, students must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, be an undergraduate student completing their first year of their first bachelor degree program, and have high academic achievement and demonstrated leadership qualities.
“On behalf of McMaster and the Honours Health Sciences program, I’d like to congratulate Shehraz on his recognition through the Fessenden-Trott Scholarship. This is the kind of leadership and vision we hope to inspire in our students,” says Jennifer Nash, assistant dean of the Honours Health Sciences Program at McMaster.
Learn more via Scholarship Partners Canada.