We are pleased to announce that the Croatian-Canadian Scholarship Fund has awarded three (3) scholarships and four (4) bursaries for the 2018/2019 school year. The funds have been awarded in order to help further the education of full-time post-secondary students in Canada.
Congratulations to each of the recipients!
Brian Bursic
$2,000 Scholarship Award Recipient
Brian is a student at Western University studying Honours Specialization in Pharmacology. He has a demonstrated commitment to academic achievements and diverse leadership roles, continuing to contribute to the Croatian-Canadian community. Brian is currently a Dean’s Honour Roll student, President and Founder of the Western University Technology Review Publication and President of the Croatia Club at Western. After his undergraduate degree, Brian aspires to attend Medical School to become an Oncologist.
Elena Grbac
$2,000 Scholarship Award Recipient
Elena is a third year Medical student at the University of Toronto, pursuing a career in paediatric medicine. She was drawn to work with children from immigrant families, providing mentorship and tutoring and now works with a diverse population, each with their own unique migration story. Through a partnership with YWCA Arise, a shelter for women and children experiencing abuse, she created an initiative to improve health literacy. Elena looks forward to exploring the health inequities that are prevalent in immigrant children and advocate for the health and well-being of her future patients.
Nicholas Grubic
$2,000 Scholarship Award Recipient
Attending Queen’s University and majoring in Life Sciences, Nicolas will also earn a Certificate in Business from the Smith School of Business. Nicholas is heavily involved in two cardiovascular projects and is looking forward to expanding his research interests and experiences to develop the necessary skills needed to pursue a career within cardiovascular epidemiology. In addition to his studies, Nicholas has participated at the Ontario and Canadian University Rowing Championships, achieving gold medal finishes and represented Team Ontario at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.
Viktorija Burcul
$1,500 Bursary Award Recipient
Viktorija is a Biomedical Science student in her fourth year at the University of Ottawa. Upon graduation, Viktorija will continue to follow her life’s passion and pursue an accelerated nursing degree in anticipation of becoming a Public Health Nurse. She firmly believes in interdisciplinary learning and engages with youth in her community as a clubhouse volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, and as an Ottawa Branch Leader of Indigo Girls Group Ontario (IGG) – a youth-run, non-profit organization, that is devoted to empowering girls aged 6-18.
Julia Gradiski
$1,500 Bursary Award Recipient
Julia is majoring in Family and Community Social Services at the University of Guelph-Humber. Upon graduation, Julia plans to pursue a Master’s degree in the field of mental health and fulfill her long-standing career goal to incorporate art therapy in the form of dance as a treatment tool for children struggling with mental illness. Julia currently volunteers at the Vitanova Foundation, a residential treatment program for adult men dealing with substance abuse and will spend her summer in California volunteering with the Fostering Dreams Project which uses dance to foster youth.
Emma Sara Juracic
$1,500 Bursary Award Recipient
Emma is a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Waterloo, with a research focus on calcium ion regulation in skeletal muscle. She has completed her Honors B.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Waterloo as well as her M.Sc. in Kinesiology. Emma strives to exemplify the mentorship she has received onto graduate and undergraduate students, as both a researcher and teaching assistant and has thus been awarded the Doctoral Excellence Award and the Graduate Teaching Award. She hopes to follow in her mentors footsteps to become an assistant professor and develop her own research program.
Anastasia Turalija
$1,500 Bursary Award Recipient
Currently a second year student at McMaster University in their pre-law honours program JPPL (Justice, Political Philosophy and Law), with a minor in French, Anastasia hopes to pursue a career in the field of law. Anastasia was one of only sixty students chosen to enroll in McMasters extremely competitive pre-law program. She has been an active member of the Croatian-Canadian community, an active volunteer and is a member of the McMaster University Croatia Club. Anastasia firmly believes education is more than just acquiring information, it is the fundamental precondition to developing your own identity and role in today’s world.
The Croatian-Canadian Scholarship Fund is a joint program developed and administered by the Croatian-Canadian Library and the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce.