Vanier Collegiate graduate Ha'Keena Maneso is the recipient of this year's Dubinsky Family Scholarship.
Maneso graduated in June with an average of 93 per cent and plans to study theatre arts at Queens University this fall, Lori Meyer, co-ordinator of Prairie South School Division's Bursary Fund program, explained in a letter to city council.
Besides Maneso's outstanding academics, she was also involved in her community and school, Meyer continued. For example, Maneso was a member of Vanier's retreat team and an organizing leader of Valhalla, which is a welcome to high school event for Grade 9 students. She was also a volunteer and performer at Voltage, a New Year's Eve event for youths put on by Joe's Place Youth Centre.
In the community, she has been the youth spokeswoman for the Elder Hope Project, which provides educational presentations in schools and in the community aimed at rising funds to support displaced and abandoned elders in Ethiopia. She was also the chairwoman of the youth advisory committee for the City of Moose Jaw. The committee initiates and leads service projects with other community groups and schools, while it also represents and advocates on behalf of youths to the mayor and city council.
Maneso was also a leadership committee member of the annual Kids Helping Kids fundraiser, which aimed to help underprivileged children in Saskatchewan receive an education in the arts.
In addition, Maneso is involved in dancing, voice lessons, chamber choir and school musicals.
During its Sept. 21 regular meeting, city council unanimously received and filed the report, while Mayor Fraser Tolmie presented the scholarship cheque to Maneso at the start of the meeting.
“Due to absence of (a) normal graduation this year for students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am extremely happy that the city is able to provide this ceremony to the deserving recipient of the Dubinsky Family Scholarship,” Tolmie said. “Despite the pandemic, this is no less important to us to share with you.”
In 1982, the City of Moose Jaw entered into a trust agreement with Boris Dubinsky and Administrative Consultants Limited. The purpose was to establish an endowment that the municipality would hold, with interest from the main endowment awarded annually as part of a scholarship to a Moose Jaw high school student pursuing university or college.
The amount of the scholarship is supposed to be equivalent to the amount of income the trust fund earned in the preceding 12-month period. The fund’s trustee is not allowed to use the capital of the fund — or any portion thereof — for any purpose other than for earning income for scholarship awards.
The directors of education from Prairie South and Holy Trinity Catholic school divisions determine which nominated graduate should receive the scholarship.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Oct. 5.
