Annapolis student wins prestigious award
A Grade 12 student at a small rural high school is proof you don’t have to be from the big city to earn big honours.
Annapolis West Education Centre’s Tayler Milbury, from Bear River, was recently awarded the prestigious Currie Scholarship at the University of New Brunswick.
Participating in a diverse range of activities and displaying academic excellence helped her become one of four top Atlantic Canadian students to earn the award this year.
“I was extremely excited because it was such a big deal to win that, especially coming from such a small town,” Milbury said. “I was excited not even because of the money, but just to show everyone around here that it’s possible to do something like that, because you don’t hear about it very often.”
Milbury, 17, will graduate from AWEC this month where she serves on various student council committees, took part in a science venture called the Annapolis Royal Space Agency, and earned the Lieutenant Governor’s Education Medal. She has participated in the Royal Canadian Legion Nova Scotia’s Leadership Training Camp, Encounters with Canada and has completed the bronze level of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
She has volunteered in many areas of her community, ranging from service at the Bear River Community Health Centre to fundraisers for Tim Hortons Camp Day, the youth zone of her YMCA, and a local dinner theatre.
She is enrolled in UNB’S bachelor of science program where she said she may major in biochemistry before enrolling in medical school. She hopes to become a doctor.
She said being a Currie Scholarship winner is like being part of a family, and while it may be prestigious, it’s also an honour.
Integral
Teacher Derick Smith has mentored Milbury as a member of his extra-curricular space agency, an experiential learning group that has seen the entire community get behind the high school effort.
“Tayler was an integral part of the marketing and media division for last year’s Space Balloon Project,” said Smith. “Together with her team, they were able to raise $2,000 and bring in media coverage from across the province. This year Taylor has continued her role in marketing/media and has moved into some of the design aspects involved in the project. We are very proud of her academic achievements this year and are lucky to have her on the team.”
Milbury’s advice to students is to get involved in everything you can – and don’t be afraid.
“Stay focused, and always remember to have fun at the same time,” she said. “Just get yourself out there.”
This year’s other Currie Scholarship recipients are Colin Brown of Grand Bay-westfield, NB; Madelyn Doucette of St. Louis, PEI; and Morgan Meade of Mount Moriah, Nfld.
For more than a decade, the Currie Scholarships have been awarded to students beginning a degree program at UNB upon graduation from a high school in any of the four Atlantic Provinces. The scholarships are intended to support the education of future leaders.
Dr. Richard Currie started university at UNB as a Beaverbrook Scholar and ended with an MBA from Harvard. He served as UNB Chancellor from 2003 to 2013 and in May 2014 was named Chancellor Emeritus.
The scholarship is valued at $65,000 over four years.