- she has earned nearly $40,000 in scholarships and awards -
by Sylene Argent
Recent Essex District High School graduate Claire Crawford has always made getting good grades a priority, which explains why she won the Proficiency Award, presented to the individual with the highest average in a class, in grades nine through 11.
While she eagerly awaitS to hear if she would win the Proficiency Award for her grade 12 year, Crawford received a pleasant surprise; she earned the 2018 Governor General Bronze Medal for academic achievement.
The student who earns this award achieved the highest average in grade 11 and 12 combined. She was told her combined average was 97 percent.
“I had known about it, but had forgotten about it,” Crawford said of earning the recognition, noting she had been busy immersing herself in studying and school sports.
“I was really happy,” Crawford said of when she learned she had earned the award. “It all paid off. I got recognized for my hard work.”
Doing well in school is something Crawford has always taken seriously. “My mom was supportive and said ‘give more than 100 percent.’ So, I always had that in back of my mind. It feels good to achieve excellence.”
As a high school student, Crawford really enjoyed learning about physics because through applying the science, she could see how things work and the reasoning behind the scientific theories. She also enjoyed chemistry due to the hands-on experience. Crawford also enjoyed learning the combination of calculus and vectors.
As an addition to her academic portfolio, in May, Crawford successfully took and passed the DELF exam, which is a French proficiency test.
Being involved with athletics was also important to Crawford as she played soccer and hockey for the high school teams. She also had the opportunity to extend her on-ice knowledge to teammates as assistant captain of the hockey team.
Getting to enjoy sports, “Gave me free time to de-stress,” she said. “I met one of my best friends through sports at the beginning of high school. I just take away a lot from sports. We formed a family each year. I got to know a lot of girls,” she said.
Crawford is excited to move on to study engineering at Queen’s University in Kingston. She believes the team work and leadership skills she has acquired as an athlete will help her as she pursues success in this industry.
As someone who has always wanted to travel around, she is looking forward to heading off on her own to further her education.
Crawford earned several awards and scholarships from Queen’s University, including the “Science 1959 Admission Award,” the “Principal’s Scholarship,” and the “Lillian Preston Admission Scholarship.” Combined, the awards total to just under $40,000.
In the first year of university, she will study general engineering. She will pick a speciality in her second year. Though it is a little early to determine what that course of study will be, she is leaning towards chemical engineering because she loves all the maths and physics involved.
“I like seeing result of my work and how it can be applied to things. I would like to make a difference and I am hoping to find my purpose,” she said.
While studying will be a huge part of her university life, Crawford plans to get involved with intermural hockey and soccer and maybe some clubs, too. She wants to connect with others and have people to interact with there.
“Summer is going by so fast,” Crawford said. “I need to think about what’s going on, what I am leaving behind, and what I’m looking forward to.”
Currently, Crawford is working at the ASI summer program. She was introduced there because of her younger twin brothers who have autism. “I saw how much fun they were having there and wanted to provide the same experience for other kids,” she said.
Being a Red Raider is something Crawford will not soon forget. “I really appreciated the teachers and how thy helped me develop as a young woman and student. They always wanted to get to know you as a person. You we not just another student in the classroom.”