Twelve students awarded RBC Royal Bank scholarships for new Canadians

TORONTO, May 10 —Twelve students from across Canada were awarded $3,500 scholarships towards their post-secondary education. The students were selected from over one thousand applicants to become the recipients of the fourth annual RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for New Canadians.
“We are extremely impressed with the calibre of students who applied for the RBC scholarship,” said Camon Mak, director, Multicultural Markets, RBC. “The New Canadians Scholarship program seeks to help some of our brightest new immigrant students achieve their academic and career goals.”
Scholarships were awarded to 12 students across the country based on academic achievement, responses to three 250-word essay questions about how immigration has shaped Canada, along with their personal experiences and advice to others going through similar experiences.
RBC launched the scholarship program to recognize the important role new Canadians play in Canada’s cultural, social and economic development. The program is aimed at individuals who have been through the immigration experience, graduated high school or CEGEP, and are planning to pursue full-time studies at an accredited Canadian college or university this fall.
Mak added, “RBC has made a long-term commitment to assist newcomers to Canada and we are dedicated to helping them succeed.”
The scholarship recipients represent a cross-section of nationalities from all over the world, and come from China, Taiwan, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, India, Hong Kong, Syria and Mexico.
More than 1,387 applications were submitted.   The winners were chosen by an independent panel made up of school administrators, teachers, professors, guidance counselors and professionals nationwide.
The recipients of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for New Canadians for 2010 include:

Mr. Peter Wang, age 17 (Langley, British Columbia)
Country of Origin: Taiwan

Mr. Wei Pang, age 17 (Mississauga, Ontario)
Country of Origin: China

Mr. Victor Molina Calvo, age 18 (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec)
Country of Origin: Mexico

Mr. Xing Jian Liu, age 19 (Westmount, Québec)
Country of Origin: China

Ms. Yilin Wang, age 18 (Coquitlam, British Columbia)
Country of Origin: China

Mr. Akshay Shirke, age 18 (New Glasgow, Nova Scotia)
Country of Origin: India

Mr. Brett Sun, age 17 (Calgary, Alberta)
Country of Origin: China

Ms. Inna Tarabukhina, age 18 ( Dunrobin, Ontario)
Country of Origin: Ukraine

Mr. Jiejing (Joe) Zhou, age 17 (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Country of Origin: China

Ms. Kalia Akkad, age 17 (Mississauga, Ontario)
Country of Origin: Syria

Ms. Malithi Fernando, age 18 (Edmonton, Alberta)
Country of Origin: Sri Lanka

Ms. Sneha Grace Koshy, age 17 (Mississauga, Ontario)
Country of Origin: India

Applicants for the scholarships must have been born outside of Canada, and be either permanent residents or citizens of Canada. They also must have achieved at least a 70 per cent average in their previous year of study.
To learn more about the scholarship program visit http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/scholarships/newcanadians/index.html. The deadline for 2011 entries is February 1, 2011.