They’re community builders, athletes, volunteers and scholars. In our TRU Trailblazers series, we’re profiling some of our 2017 major scholarship winners. Read on to meet TRU’s most accomplished first-year students and learn their best study tips, volunteer suggestions and leadership advice.
TRU Trailblazer: Emily Hogeveen
Meet Emily Hogeveen: Kamloops Christian school graduate, amateur crocheter and Kamloops Princess.
Emily is the recipient of the TRU Leadership Entrance Scholarship, a $4,000 award that recognizes documented leadership and community service combined with strong academic performance.
In some fairy tales, the princess is rescued by a heroic prince and whisked off her feet to live a lavish life inside a regal castle. However, in this fairy tale the princess is the hero. She saves herself by earning riches in the form of a scholarship to a castle of higher education (otherwise known as a university).
Once upon a time, Emily – lover of reading, crocheting and hiking – visited campus for the “Day of Arts and Science” event. She was excited by the quaint-yet-modern atmosphere and unique academic offerings. She instantly knew that TRU was the right choice to further her education.
“I come from quite a small high school, so I really liked that TRU has that same small community feel,” she said. “TRU offered the courses I wanted to take and it’s located close to home, so choosing to apply here was easy for me.”
Emily Hogeveen is using her TRU Leadership Scholarship to study business.
Ultimately deciding to enrol in the Bachelor of Business Administration program, Emily’s next step was visiting TRU’s website to look up financial aid and student awards. Just as the glass slipper fit a certain Disney princess, this Kamloops princess found a scholarship that was the perfect fit for her.
As a Kamloops Princess, Emily embodies the profile of a TRU Leadership Entrance Scholarship candidate. She has dedicated countless hours of her time providing community service as an ambassador for her hometown.
Beginning with six months of prep work and ending with the crowning of Miss Kamloops and two princesses, the Kamloops Ambassador program spends a year teaching a bright group of young women public speaking, mechanics, self-defense, networking and other useful skills that will benefit the candidates in both their life and their royalty positions. Once she was crowned as a Princess, Emily began using her long journey of personal development to give back to her community.
“Being a Princess is basically volunteering as a part-time job,” Emily said, reminiscing fondly on her ambassador experience.
She volunteered for the North Shore and the Downtown business associations, Heart & Stroke Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, the food bank, Rotary and many other organizations that needed extra help.
Emily even found time to volunteer outside of the Kamloops Ambassador program.
“I served as the event coordinator on my high school student council,” Emily said. “I planned tons of different events like Christmas parties, an early morning pancake breakfast and a school overnighter.”
Just as there is royal etiquette, Emily has learned there is volunteer etiquette.
“You should always keep offering your help,” she said. “If you finish one job, don’t just stand there. Ask to help out with whatever else needs to be done.”
Giving time to her community has given Emily a lot of value over the years in terms of personal growth, but she is quick to point out that the awards she has received are simply the cherry on top – and never the goal.
“Volunteering itself is so rewarding, you should always do it selflessly,” she said. “Never do it just to win a scholarship. You will quickly find that it is not worth it.”
Emily’s advice to volunteers looking to enrich their experience is to reach out to organizations and get to know the people with who they are donating their time.
“Network and try new things. Have good communication, patience and kindness. Kind people are nice people, and if you’re new to volunteering, a great place to start is to connect with at least one organization and get on their list of people to contact.”
Emily loves Kamloops and hopes to one day serve the community as a business lawyer.
Emily is now focusing on settling into her new life as a university student. Once she feels comfortable handling the heavier course load, Emily would like to seek out opportunities to volunteer. After visiting Clubs Day, she expressed interest in joining Enactus, an entrepreneurship volunteer club, and the TRU Pre-Law Club. At TRU she also plans on making the Dean’s List, graduating with her Bachelor of Business Administration and then eventually going on to law school. She knows that these academic goals come with a lot of hard work, but luckily, she has a few jewels of studying wisdom sitting in her crown.
“When I study I review the key facts, make a list of the things I might be tested on and then focus on those points. I study a lot and I also make sure to make notes of the teacher’s notes,” she said.
When asked what advice she would give to students who want to follow in her footsteps and earn their own scholarships, Emily advised that they have self-confidence in their applications.
“Just apply for the award,” she said. “You will never win unless you apply!”
Every fairy tale closes with a happy ending, and Emily is determined for her reality to continue happily as well. She may have passed down her sparkly tiara to the succeeding Kamloops Princess, but she will forever hold the skills she learned in the program close to her heart. Her leadership and community-building experience has already helped her earn a university scholarship, and she is excited to use these skills to help her ride smoothly into the metaphorical sunset that is graduation day.
