Applying for university can be a stressful time in a young person’s life, but the pressure is off for Pearson college student Chloe Houle-Johnson.
Houle-Johnson was recently awarded a Blyth Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship, worth about $150,000.
“When you apply you picture (being selected),” Houle-Johnson said. “I would wake up with a smile on my face and say to myself ‘Chloe, come on what are the chances?’ I did imagine it, but I didn’t think I’d get it.”
Earning the scholarship was based on more than just grades.
“You have to be focused,” said Houle-Johnson explaining she had to write an essay and attend an interview. “I like to challenge myself and I like to learn.”
For the past two years the 19-year-old from L’Assomption, Que., has been studying at Lester B. Pearson College in Metchosin.
The scholarship can be used at Pembroke College within the University of Cambridge in the U.K. The scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses and travel to and from Canada for three years. “They pay for everything, they even give you pocket money,” she said.
Houle-Johnson plans to study land economy with the aim of becoming an environmental lawyer. “I want to do something for human rights,” Houle-Johnson said. “I want to do great things, not on my own, but I want to be part of a movement.”
“Getting to learn from some of the abest teachers in the world is amazing,” she said. “It makes me want to push myself harder.”
Houle-Johnson is one of three Canadian winners for the year.
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com