Ladysmith Secondary School student, Trinity Fahr has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship from the Horatio Alger Association of Canada.
Horatio Alger scholarships are awarded annually to deserving high school students in financial need who have overcome significant adversity while demonstrating strength of character, strong academics, a commitment to pursuing higher education as well as a desire to contribute to society. Funds can be used for university studies.
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Fahr was convinced that she hadn’t won the scholarship. She handed in her application back in October, 2020 and expected to hear back by January. It wasn’t until late February when Fahr got the news — she was sitting in calculus class when the email landed in her inbox.
“I was so excited, it blew my mind. I wasn’t expecting it at all,” she said.
As for being on her phone in class, Fahr said that when she saw the notification was from the Horatio Alger Association, she just had to look.
“I sat there vibrating for the rest of class, waiting to tell someone. As soon as the lecture was over I went to the closest person and told them about it. I had to tell someone.”
For her application Fahr had to send her transcripts and tell the association about her involvement in the community. She also had to write three different essays: one about the impact of adversity on her life, one about a role model in her life, and one about her goals and aspirations.
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Fahr has found a passion for educating youth through her volunteer work at the Frank Jameson Community Centre Monster Bash and her work with young students at the Ladysmith Primary School.
When Fahr was six years old, her father left, leaving her mother, Dorothy to raise Trinity and her three siblings alone.
“It was a lot to go through, but it taught me a lot about self worth,” she said. “I learned that there was nothing I could have done and there was nothing about me that would have changed how he acted. It taught me that I needed to value healthy and strong relationships in my life going forward.”
An example of those healthy and strong relationships are the ones she has with her family.
“My mom is such a big inspiration to me. She’s so strong. She raised four children and she went to university while I was younger and got her degree in interior design. She was actually on the honour roll at her university. I’ve always looked up to her for how strong she is and how she’s done such a great job raising her children,” Fahr said.
But for her essay about a positive role model in her life, Fahr wrote about her older brother, Caleb.
“He has always been there for me. I would not be the person I am now without him. He has this competitive spirit that inspired me to keep up with him and catch up with where he was at in school. I always wanted to impress him because he was such a successful and inspirational person to me as a kid.”
Fahr plans to use her scholarship to attend the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She’ll be pursuing a Bachelor’s degree with a major in visual art and a minor in French. She then plans to get a post baccalaureate degree in education and begin a career in teaching.