RBC announces 2016 RBC Students Leading Change Scholarship winners

TORONTO, July 27, 2016 /CNW/ - RBC announced today its 2016 RBC Students Leading Change Scholarship recipients, recognizing 15 of Canada's most civic-minded students. Each winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship towards post-secondary tuition, and six will travel to Kenya next year for a ME to WE travel experience to volunteer in a WE Charity developing community.

Scholarship recipients are a diverse group of students at different points of their educational journey and all 15 have demonstrated personal drive and commitment to make the world a better place. They are studying health sciences, engineering, the arts, business, and international development with hopes to inspire others to join their causes, locally and globally. These students care deeply about food security, women's rights, youth empowerment, poverty, and healthcare. And they're doing something about it. "We are recognizing 15 Canadians who are passionately making a social impact in their communities while balancing academic excellence," said Laura Plant, director of Student Banking. "The RBC Students Leading Change Scholarship will give them the opportunity to continue to be role models in and outside the classroom. The future is bright with these young leaders."

In addition to the monetary award, six scholarships are paired with a ME to WE Trip to be taken in summer 2017. The trips offer life-changing, hands-on experiences for youth, families, groups and individuals to volunteer in a WE Charity partner community, a unique aspect of the RBC Students Leading Change scholarship program.

"Congratulations to these exceptional students who are leading change in their communities and inspiring others to make an impact. Service learning and hands-on experiences continue to be incredibly important to young Canadians and we are so grateful to RBC for empowering these young people to live WE in a unique way," said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of WE Charity. "I'm excited for these students to have the chance to travel to one of WE's developing communities, immerse themselves in the Kenyan culture and gain a deeper understanding of development."

2016 winners of the RBC Students Leading Change Scholarship Program (in alphabetical order):

Scholarship & ME to WE Trip
Ryan Blais, Grande Prairie, Alberta
Tasha Hou, Calgary, Alberta
Melanie Manning, Ajax, Ontario
Eve Staszczyszyn, Oakville, Ontario
Gautham Krishnaraj, Chilliwack, British Columbia
Yaeesh Sardiwalla, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Scholarship
Sarah Nicholson, Hamilton, Ontario
Cynthia Beaulieu, Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Kaia Bryce, Sidney, British Columbia
Lexie Krocker, Lakefield, Ontario
Jayna Butler, Gilbert Plains, Manitoba
Rachel Turner, Stoney Creek, Ontario
Nina Couto, Markham, Ontario
Heather Skeoch, Burlington, Ontario
Monica Lillico, Markham, Ontario

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 36 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.‎

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2015, we contributed more than $121 million to causes around the world.

SOURCE RBC

For further information: Ka Yan Ng, 647-625-8726, [e-mail]