A UVic-bound student from Nanaimo is among a prestigious group, selected from some 1,500 students, receiving an $80,000 scholarship.
Elise McRae Coates, a Wellington Secondary School grad, has been awarded the Schulich Leader Scholarship for science, according to a press release. Coates is headed to University of Victoria this fall, enrolled in the school of Earth and ocean sciences and was awarded the scholarship on the strength of her academic and extracurricular achievements, which are key criteria.
Coates is deeply committed to the health of oceans, said the press release, and that includes the consequences of “plastics and bioaccumulative toxins.” This has led her to pursue an Earth and oceans sciences degree.
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In terms of extracurriculars, Coates has been involved in youth education, instructing elementary school students about Vancouver Island’s shores, through the local Seashore program, said the press release. She is a long-distance runner and finished seventh at this year’s B.C. High School Cross Country Championships, coached a youth soccer program and developed a volunteer program to set up and take down recreational soccer field equipment, the press release said.
“I am really excited by the integrated nature of UVic’s physics and ocean sciences programs and hope it will allow me to pursue and grow my passion for B.C.’s coast,” Coates said in the press release.
She will be part of the UVic Vikes track and cross-country teams this year.
According to the press release, of 300,000 potential candidates, 1,500 were nominated and 50 received the award.