For Monica Radovski and Naveen Hassan, keeping busy, involved and active within their communities is of the essence. Radovski and Hassan are both pursuing their undergraduate degrees at York. Both have recently been awarded an Excellence Award from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.
Right: Radovski (left) and Hassan
This $5,000 renewable scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate outstanding community involvement, leadership and innovation, while maintaining a solid academic standing.
Radovski, a third-year environmental studies major, received an in-course Excellence Award designated for those students who find their place in the community after having begun their postsecondary studies. Hassan, who calls herself a science nerd, is a first-year biology student and was granted an entrance award, which is renewable throughout a student's undergraduate career.
Radovski and Hassan are both involved in a number of clubs and activities at York as a way to further establish ties to their new community. Radovski said she got involved with the York student alumni group, York is U, through an Arbor Day event. “It [York is U] has really opened me up the most,” she said. “I’ve met so many people through it.” Along with her activities at York is U, Radovski also volunteers for the York Animal Rights Group and the Secular Humanist Association at York.
Radovski’s passion for conserving the environment prompted her to start a program to promote the recycling of batteries at York. “A lot of people don’t know that you have to dispose of batteries separately from the rest of your garbage,” she said. Radovski is also helping to create a vegetarian food directory for the University’s Keele campus, which will list vegetarian food options that are available to students.
Hassan sits on the board of directors for a group called Youth in Motion in Toronto, which is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to developing life skills in youth.. She said she found out about, and actively started participating with, Youth in Motion after the group presented her with the Top-20-Under-20 award.
Through a Youth in Motion program called Leading the Way, Hassan visits elementary schools and high schools motivating students to achieve their goals. “I love doing it,” she said. “I walk off stage with a real sense of satisfaction.”
Radovski and Hassan recently attended the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation’s Think Again conference in Ottawa Jan. 25-27. The Think Again conference is an annual conference held to honour the laureates.
This article was submitted to YFile by Sneh Duggal, a journalism student at Carleton University.