We are pleased to introduce you to the winner of 2017 Nadine Marshall Scholarship, Ilsa Weinstein-Wright!
Ilsa Weinstein-Wright’s longtime commitment to positive change and the promotion of kindness can be recognized in all aspects of her life. Over the past couple of years, Ilsa has completed an extensive amount of volunteer work. For instance, from 2015-2016, she was a dedicated volunteer with Covenant House Vancouver as a part of their Thank-a-Thon program. As a student at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver, BC, Ilsa has never shied away from an opportunity to get involved and be a leader within her school. In Spring 2016, Ilsa took part in a volunteer trip to Nicaragua with her school’s Global Connections Club. Leading up to the trip she assisted in hosting various events, such as bottle drives and food sales to help fundraise for the trip. While in Nicaragua, she spent over a week working on a construction project in a small community with a NGO (Non-Government Organization) called La Mariposa. Ilsa and her fellow students were able to provide the community they visited with a fully functioning daycare. This was significant because it meant that parents no longer had to sacrifice their financial stability to look after their children. In grade twelve, Ilsa was selected to be a Peer Counsellor for her school. As a Peer Counsellor, Ilsa played a pivotal role promoting school spirit and positivity. For example, Ilsa took charge of a program called “Monday is Give Day”. This program was created to combat the typical Monday dread. “Monday is Give Day” aims to make Mondays a little more positive within the school community. Recently she organized a flash mob at lunch, which was a great success bringing many smiles across the school. This past year Ilsa has also started to work very closely with Alpha B. Kirabira, the founder of a Vancouver based charity called Help Change My City. Ilsa was chosen to be one of twelve members of Help Change My City’s “Youth Government,” which was created to empower young leaders to make a social impact in their schools and beyond. She has participated in various events hosted by Help Change My City including, “Warming up the Eastside” and “Eats on the Streets.” Both of these events took place in Vancouver’s downtown eastside where there is a very high homeless population. For “Warming up the Eastside” Ilsa and a group of other volunteers met and handed out hats, gloves, hygiene products, and snacks to homeless people in the area. “Eats on the Streets” was a similar event, but instead they handed out lunches.
Ilsa plans on continuing to explore her passion for social change this coming fall at McGill University, where she looks forward to participating in their International Development Program. Ilsa was thrilled to learn of her selection for this scholarship, and is sincerely grateful for this acknowledgment. She looks forward to continuing to advocate for Nadine Marshell’s belief of the power of kindness as an agent for positive change in our world.