CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE June 27, 2018
On June 27, 16 high school grads from the region gathered with their families at Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School in Shawville to receive a tidy sum for their pursuit of post-secondary education.
The Pontiac Scholarship Fund offers $1,000 bursaries, sponsored by various people and organizations in the community, and are doled out primarily based on financial need.
Created in 1994, the fund is coordinated by a committee of stakeholders, who review the applications. The selection criteria for each bursary vary, usually having to do with grades, the field of study and the applicant’s intention to return to the region when they graduate.
Former bursary recipient Travis Narlock, who recently graduated from the University of Ottawa, gave an inspirational speech prior to the presentations, telling the future freshmen that the relationships they forge outside the classroom can be as vital as the skills they pick up in the classroom.
“The piece of paper is nowhere near as important as networking,” he said. “That’s what lines you up with a good job after.”
He left the aspiring pupils with a quote from musician Corey Taylor:
“The world owes you nothing and you owe yourself everything.”
The full list of bursary recipients is as follows: Ashley Rivet, donated by Promutuel La Vallée; Christina Duval, donated by the Municipality of Mansfield et Pontefract; Tyler LaSalle, donated by Dr. Donna Courchesne and Andrew Simms; Destiny Murphy and Myriam Roy, both donated by Uniprix – Pharmacie Ahmad Hassan; Breanna Hodgins, donated by Dr. Thomas C. O’Neill and Jane; Sarah Zimmerling, donated by The Pontiac Journal and Dr. Maurice and France Lamarche; Marielle Joanisse, donated by Dr. Maurice and France Lamarche; Connor Belly, donated by Robert and Suzette Pelletier; Chelsea Stevens, donated by Donald and Louise Lavallée; Jennifer McCagg, donated by the UPA and Rotary Club; Alain Lafond, donated by the MRC Pontiac; Danny Dolan, donated by W.J. Hayes and Sons; Christopher Amyotte, donated by Tankcon; Isabelle Sallafranque, donated by the Chapeau Caisse Populaire Desjardins de Chapeau, the Municipalities of Allumettes Island and Chichester, as well as Jane Toller; James Connolly, donated by Brookfield Renewable Energy; Noah Vaillancourt, donated by André Fortin; Courtney Hodgins, donated by the Shawville Lions Club; Angie Vaillancourt, donated by the Fort Coulonge Caisse Populaire, Pharmacie Pavlina Zhivkov, Daniel Amyotte and Club Quad Pontiac; Keysha Tubman, donated by WePC, W.A. Hodgins, Joanne’s Valu-mart, Nancy Suominen, Lotus Clinic and the Women’s Wellness Network; Brayden Smith, donated by Centre dentaire du Pontiac, Jean-Pierre Pigeon and Rita Cybulski, Dr. Roland Chrétien, Cuisines Pilon and the Municipalities of Campbell’s Bay and Litchfield; Valentina Canales Burke, donated by the Municipality of Pontiac, Familiprix-Pharmacie Marc Aufranc, Mireille Alary, Dr. Morgan Welburn, Quyon Ferry, Nugent Construction, and Keith and Margaret Fletcher; Connor Turcotte, donated by the Municipality of Otter Lake, Oktoberfest Ladysmith, Connelly & Koshy and Magnalum; Jonathan Hamilton, donated by the Pontiac Agricultural Society; Darien Routliffe and Liam Gibbons, donated by Pontiac Farmers and Friends.
