Central Collegiate graduate Emma Cherney is the recipient of this year’s Snowbirds Scholarship.
Cherney graduated in June with a 96.3 per cent average and has been accepted into the bachelor of nursing program at Medicine Hat College.
She has been actively involved in the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program at No. 40 Snowbird Squadron for the past five years.
Her commanding officer said that in the past three years, Cherney has shown great leadership in supporting her fellow air cadets with planning and running several events. She has served as the parade commander during the weekly parades for the past year and has developed into a confident, reliable young woman, prepared to work hard to meet her future goals.
Cherney has received leadership, citizenship, and training awards over the years, which reflects her skills in training and teaching fellow cadets.
Academically, she is conscientious about her studies. She maintained a high academic standing, which won her several awards. In addition to air cadets and academics, Cherney was heavily involved in Central Collegiate’s music department by being part of the concert choir, vocal jazz, and Central’s annual musical theatre production, for which she played leading roles.
During its Sept. 12 regular meeting, city council unanimously received and filed the scholarship report, while Mayor Clive Tolley presented the scholarship to Cherney’s father, Braden, at the start of the meeting because the youth was already in school.
“We wish Emma all the best with her studies at Medicine Hat College,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Dubinsky Family Scholarship went to Harry Lin from Central Collegiate.
“These young students are a credit to our community,” Tolley added.
In 1991, city council passed a bylaw governing how the Snowbirds Scholarship should be awarded. The bylaw indicated that $5,000 was to be set aside to annually award a scholarship to cadet members who planned to continue or pursue post-secondary education.
The amount of the scholarship is to be equal to 75 per cent of the income earned by the fund during the preceding 12 months, a council report explained. The remaining 25 per cent of the income earned during the period would be added to, and thereby form, a part of the capital fund.
The city would not be able to use the capital of the fund, or any portion of it, for any purpose other than to earn income for the scholarship award.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Sept. 26.
