MARYSTOWN, N.L.— Mallory Spencer and Abby Brenton are looking forward to a unique opportunity this summer.
The pair, both Grade 10 students at Marystown Central High School, have been selected for the SHAD program.
Abby and Malory said they were excited to be selected for the program.
“It felt amazing,” Abby said. “First when I submitted my application I was not confident, thinking that I wasn’t going to get in, (so) when I got word back that I got in it felt so good—I felt really proud of the work that I put in.”
There was an extensive application process for students hoping to be considered for a spot in the program.
“You had to write three essays, you had to get a reference letter from a teacher and an academic transcript and submit it in,” Abby said.
It was approximately two months after she applied that Abby received word she had been accepted. Abby will be spending a month this summer at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“I am so happy,” Abby said of her placement. “Actually, I plan to attend the university of Dalhousie because I want to be a physiotherapist and I feel so excited to get to go there and see the campus.”
Abby said it was going through physiotherapy treatments herself that interested her in pursuing a career in this field.
While Abby will be checking out the university in Halifax, Mallory Spencer will be walking the halls of Queens University in Kingston, Ontario.
Mallory said shocked was the best word to describe how she felt when she got her acceptance via e-mail.
“It is such a hard program to get into,” she said. “Only 900 of the smartest kids in Canada get selected for this program, so I was ecstatic when I got my e-mail saying I was selected.”
While Mallory explained that she wasn’t 100 per cent sure what university she wanted to be placed in when she was first accepted to the program, she is happy to be going to Queen’s.
“I always wanted to go to Ontario,” she said. “I’ve been there before but I was never in Kingston, so I thought that it would be a really good experience.”
Mallory noted the university offers a good business program.
“It’s never (been) something I really looked into but (it’s) something that I think might be interesting to learn about, maybe it will be a future career option,” she said.
Both young women agree the program will be a valuable networking opportunity.
Mallory is looking forward to doing activities she didn’t think would be a part of the program, such as outdoor camping and indoor rock climbing.
“I never really expected that to be part of this program, that alongside of all the learning experiences it’s going to be amazing.”
What is SHAD?
According to information on the programs website, SHAD is an award-winning enrichment and entrepreneurship program and network that empowers exceptional high school students – at a pivotal point in their education – to recognize their own capabilities and envision their extraordinary potential as tomorrow’s leaders and change makers.
The month-long program helps students build a foundation in the STEAM —science, technology, engineering, arts and math — fields.
