Three Surrey students on shortlist for $100,000 scholarship

Grade 12 students Zahur Ashrafuzzaman, Cecilia Kim and Jun (Hank) Wu are all finalists for the 2019 Loran scholarship. (Image: Surrey Schools)

Three Surrey students on shortlist for $100,000 scholarship

Surrey student last received Loran scholarship in 2015

Three Surrey high school students are in the running for a $100,000-scholarship.

Zahur Ashrafuzzaman from Queen Elizabeth Secondary, Fleetwood Park Secondary's Jun (Hank) Wu and Cecilia Kim from Semiahmoo Secondary are all finalists for the 2019 Loran Scholars Foundation scholarship, according to the Surrey School's website.

The Grade 12 students, according to Surrey Schools, are among 88 shortlisted students "selected from more than 5,000 applicants nationwide."

Loran Scholars Foundation offers "the country's largest and most comprehensive four-year undergraduate award (valued at $100,000) to young Canadians on the basis of character, service and the promise of leadership," according to its website. It was founded in 1988.

"At the Loran Scholars Foundation, we identify and support young people who have the integrity and courage to make difficult decisions, the perseverance to work towards long-term goals, the curiosity to better understand the world around them and the drive to make positive change in their communities," the website reads.

In 2017, the organization received 5,023 applications, interviewed 500 students in 23 regions and awarded 34 Loran scholarships. Volunteers, according to the foundation's website, select up to 34 Loran Scholars.

Each Loran scholarship is valued at $100,000 over four years of undergraduate study, including mentorship and summer experiences, according to the website.

THREE of our Grade 12 students have been shortlisted (from more than 5,000 applicants across Canada) for a prestigious @loranscholar scholarship worth up to $100K: https://t.co/Dp5fxTak9g 🤞 #sd36learn #surreybc #whiterock pic.twitter.com/4O1jbeV2uG

- Surrey Schools (@Surrey_Schools) January 9, 2019

The students, according to Surrey Schools, were chosen following regional interviews. Ashrafuzzaman, Kim and Wu will now move on to national interviews to narrow the list down to 34 winners.

Surrey Schools added that if students are not selected as a Loran Scholar, they "are eligible for a $5,000 finalists award."

National selections will be made in February.

The last Surrey student to receive a Loran scholarship was Anthony Hope in 2015. Hope attended Johnston Heights before moving on to University of Toronto, according to Loran Scholars Foundation.

Other Surrey students who received Loran scholarships include Shakti Ramkumar in 2014. She went to Kwantlen Park Secondary.