Two Saskatoon students win prestigious $100K national scholarship

Two high school students from Saskatoon are among the 2024 Loran Scholars, winning $100,000 each for their post-secondary education.

Mahrukh Hassan from Bedford Road Collegiate, and Liam McKay-Argyriou from Marion M. Graham Collegiate were two of 34 students chosen from over 5,000 applicants across Canada.

“When I first got the call I was absolutely shocked,” Hassan told CTV News.

“Now that it’s settled and I’ve had time to process. I just feel incredibly grateful and blessed for this opportunity, and honoured that Loran saw the importance of what I do both in school and outside,” she said.

To become a Loran scholar, 18-year-old Hassan and 17-year-old McKay-Argyriou had to successfully pass an in-depth, nationwide selection process carried out by hundreds of volunteer assessors and interviewers — from writing an application, to regional semi-final interviews, to attending national interviews in Toronto.

Mahrukh Hassan is among the 2024 Loran Scholars. (Carla Shynkaruk / CTV News)

“We give these exceptional students a launch pad to unlock their potential and empower them to make positive change in their communities. Loran Scholars benefit from a four-year, comprehensive leadership-enrichment program, financial support, and a network of values-driven peers and mentors—unlike anything else in this country,” the Loran Scholars Foundation said in a news release.

Hassan hopes to attend the University of Saskatchewan to study biomedical sciences, majoring in cellular physiology and pharmacology and McKay-Argyriou plans to study communications at Simon Fraser University starting coming fall.

“The Loran program offers a strong support system that I can utilize to understand who I truly am and how I can leave the world a better place than I found it. Through mentorship and summer work experiences, the program will broaden my perspectives and help me develop skills that I can use to help others rise,” McKay-Argyriou told CTV News.

Liam McKay-Aryriou is among the 2024 Loran Scholars. (Carla Shynkaruk / CTV News)

Three Saskatoon high school students were in the running for the national award after making it to a short list of 90 finalists.

Last year, just one student in Saskatoon earned the Loran scholarship.

Since its inception 35 years ago, the Loran Scholars Foundation has provided more than $66 million in undergraduate awards to more than 3,400 promising high school and Cégep students, including 796 Loran Scholars.