Twelve students awarded RBC Royal Bank Scholarships for New Canadians

    TORONTO, Nov. 17 /CNW/ - Twelve students from across Canada were honoured
during a special dinner at the Ontario Heritage Centre in downtown Toronto on
November 15. These students were selected from over one thousand applicants to
be the recipients of the second annual RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for New
Canadians.
    Also speaking at the event was one of Canada's best-known youth and
social justice advocates, Michelle Dagnino. The recipient of over a dozen
awards for work in communities around the world, Ms. Dagnino left many in the
audience feeling optimistic and empowered about their role in shaping future
generations and cultivating leadership in a variety of areas.
    RBC launched the scholarship program last year to recognize the important
role immigration plays 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.
    "We are extremely impressed with the calibre of students who applied for
the RBC scholarship," said Manisha Burman, director, RBC Multicultural
Markets. "Immigrating and succeeding in a new country can be very challenging,
and their remarkable journeys are worthy of these awards."
    Ms. Burman added: "RBC has made a long-term commitment to assist
newcomers to Canada and help them to succeed. This scholarship program is one
more way for us to deliver on that promise."
    The winners of the award represent a cross-section of nationalities from
all over the world, and come from China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, India,
Germany, Iran and Australia.
    Scholarships were awarded based on academic achievement, and applicants'
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.The recipients of the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for New Canadians for
    2008 are:

    Ms. Brahamjot Moondi, age 18
    Country of Origin: Newport, United Kingdom
    Hometown: Brampton, Ontario
    Program: Business Management and Organizational Studies, University of
             Western Ontario
    Ambition: Chartered Accounting, followed by a career in business
              leadership

    Ms. Chibeze Ojukwu, age 18
    Country of Origin: Sydney, Australia
    Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
    Program: Political Studies with a minor in Anthropology, University of
             Saskatchewan
    Ambition: Work with Doctors without Borders, followed by a career in
              medicine

    Ms. Janet Xu, age 18
    Country of Origin: Shanghai, China
    Hometown: Surrey, British Columbia
    Program: Science, University of British Columbia
    Ambition: A career in medicine

    Ms. Jenny Duong, age 17
    Country of Origin: Hong Kong, China
    Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
    Program: Humanities with double minor in English Literature and French,
             University of Toronto
    Ambition: Graduate studies, followed by a career in teaching or
              journalism

    Mr. Karanbir Gill, age 18
    Country of Origin: Chandigarh, India
    Hometown: Surrey, British Columbia
    Program: Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Engineering), University of
             British Columbia
    Ambition: An MBA followed by a career at a technology company

    Mr. Kevin Zhou, age 18
    Country of Origin: Beijing, China
    Hometown: Calgary, Alberta
    Program: Engineering, University of Western Ontario
    Ambition: An MBA followed by a career in finance or engineering

    Mr. Paul Mou, age 18
    Country of Origin: Taiwan
    Hometown: Stouffville, Ontario
    Program: System Design, University of Waterloo
    Ambition: A doctorate in computer science followed by a career in
              robotics

    Ms. Serena Chin, age 18
    Country of Origin: Dagenham, United Kingdom
    Hometown: Markham, Ontario
    Program: International Bachelor of Business Administration, Schulich
             School of Business, York University
    Ambition: An MBA followed by a business leadership role

    Mr. Toby Woerthle, age 18
    Country of Origin: Heilbronn, Germany
    Hometown: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
    Program: Computer Science, University of Waterloo
    Ambition: Owning a software business

    Ms. Yelin Yang, age 18
    Country of Origin: Shanghai, China
    Hometown: Mississauga, Ontario
    Program: Health Sciences, McMaster University
    Ambition: A career in pediatrics

    Ms. Yili Wang, age 18
    Country of Origin: Panjin, China
    Hometown: Brampton, Ontario
    Program: Life Sciences, University of Toronto
    Ambition: A career in medicine

    Mr. Ashkan Pishvaei, age 18
    Country of Origin: Tehran, Iran
    Hometown: Vancouver, British Columbia
    Program: Bachelor of Arts, followed by Commerce in Sauder School of
             Business, University of British Columbia
    Ambition: Owning an accounting firmApplicants 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.
    For more information about the RBC Royal Bank Scholarship for New
Canadians, please visit: www.rbcroyalbank.com/scholarships/newcanadians./NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

For further information: Linda Sadlowski, [phone]; Stephanie Lu,
[phone]