“People who don’t even know me are telling me what a great job I’ve been doing throughout high school and it’s like they believe that I can do what I want to do,” said Centre Wellington District High School (CWDHS) student Kirsten Henley.
As the recipient of the first ever Cargill scholarship administered by the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington, the 18-year-old received $2,500 towards tuition at a post secondary institution.
Ultimately, Henley’s goal is to become a large animal veterinarian, but the first step down that road is earning an undergraduate degree.
To do so she will be attending the University of Saskatchewan in September, where she’s taking a bachelor of science in agriculture program and working towards a major in animal bioscience with a focus on herd health.
Henley said money for school has always been a concern for her but she didn’t qualify for the majority of scholarships at CWDHS.
“All the other scholarships in our school are mark-based so I don’t really have a chance of getting those ones just because that’s not the kind of learner I am, but this one is perfect,” she said. “It matches exactly who I am as a person and it’s nice to see it’s not just marks that matter, it’s who you are as a person as well and what you’ve overcome to go where you want to.”
The Cargill scholarship was open to all 12 high schools in Guelph and Wellington County and Henley was up against nine other nominees. The guidelines stipulated that the applicant had to pursue post-secondary education in the trades or an agricultural related field.
“We actually had a small committee that we ranked all the applications and I think it was a score out of 70 and I think three of the four committee members scored her a full 70,” said Karyn Kirkwood from the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington.
“It was a great fit with Cargill to go to herd health because of their focus with the animals and her references, her recommendations were quite good.”
Kirkwood added Henley’s application was exceptional.
“Just what she had been through in her life and had overcome and just the maturity, all those qualities really were very, very strong in the application,” Kirkwood said.
“It’s a bit of an emotional scholarship versus an ‘oh she got a 98 …’ so it’s a little more subjective, maybe a bit more intuitive.
“We just felt that she was the right recipient.”
Guidance counselor Linda Adams said Henley never quits.
“In Grade 10 I met her and I was like this girl is so mature and organized and tenacious in the right way,” Adams said.
“Just has total ownership for what she needs to do and keeps pushing even when I see so many other students just accept that someone says no you didn’t do well. She’s like, ‘well I’d like to know what I didn’t do so I can learn it.’”
One of the reasons Henley wants to work towards veterinary college with a focus on large animals is that she worked with Arthur Veterinary during her summer co-op placement in 2014.
Although she’s worked with horses throughout her entire life, during the co-op she spent two months working with animals she hadn’t had much experience with before, like cows.
“That’s when I really solidified that I want to go into large animal instead of small animal,” she said.
Cargill has made a commitment to provide the scholarship to the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington for three years.
“And I think it’s going to encourage kids that are like me who can’t make the marks no matter how hard they try to keep pushing for doing what they want to do because there’s incentive now,” Henley said.
“Before it’s like, well I might not be able to afford to go to college or university but given all I’ve gone through and still made it, this scholarship can make it possible and it definitely has for me.”
