For high school students contemplating a future that involves university, choosing a major and applying to schools can be stressful enough without having to worry about how they plan to pay for their education. But for Saskatchewan students Kendra Farmer and MacKenzie Chittenden, their lives are now a little less stressful as they were each awarded a $3,000 SaskTel Scholarship.

As a competitive track and field athlete, Kendra welcomes the increased ability to focus on both academics and athletics that SaskTel’s scholarship helps provide. “I was extremely excited and honoured to be chosen out of such a great pool of applicants,” said Kendra. “I spend most of my time outside of school training and competing, and I am going to continue my passion for track as a student athlete [at university] next year.”

MacKenzie shared similar feelings. “When I first found out I was going to be awarded the SaskTel scholarship I was in shock and overly excited. It is a surreal feeling to know that your academic achievements, ambitions, and leadership stood out enough,” said MacKenzie. “Without the added financial stress that comes with continuing education, this scholarship will allow me to focus more of my time on staying involved with my community and becoming a well-rounded university student.”

Community involvement is important to MacKenzie. She volunteered throughout high school and was an active member of the Student Leadership Committees at her elementary and high school. Part of her involvement came through attending the Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CLSC) in Halifax while in Grade 11 and again in Edmundston, New Brunswick during her Grade 12 year.

Math and science is a passion both young women share and it’s influenced their choice in fields. They are both entering post-secondary education in Fall 2017, with MacKenzie studying Actuarial Science and Kendra pursuing a degree in Engineering.

Kendra credits her interest in math and science to her experience in the Academically Talented program she participated in from Grade 5 to 8. “I was surrounded by bright individuals that challenged me and helped me succeed,” said Kendra. “In these years, my love for math and science really began to grow and it continued to flourish throughout high school as well.”

Like most students entering university, MacKenzie and Kendra are looking forward to the chance to be more independent. “I am excited to meet all the new people and to be constantly surrounded by students with common interests, goals, and life ambitions,” said MacKenzie.

And as the semester quickly approaches, while Kendra shares that sentiment she is also eager to take on the new challenges that university life provides. “I think the most exciting part of it for me is getting to use the math and science skills I have learned to do some creative problem solving and design things that matter,” said Kendra.

SaskTel Awards eight $3,000 scholarships each year to students studying in fields related to information and communications technology at post-secondary schools in Saskatchewan. See a complete list of the 2017 recipients or find out more by checking out SaskTel’s Scholarships on our website.