Trent’s School for the Study of Canada took a moment at the start of a new term to hold a reception recognizing students with outstanding achievement in undergraduate Canadian Studies. 

At the event, recipients of the 2016/17 Symons Essay Prizes had the opportunity to meet with Trent’s founding president Professor Tom Symons and his wife, Christine, who established the awards to recognize excellence in performance in the Canadian Studies program.  This year’s award winners included:

• Kelsey Morewood – highest grades achieved in first-year Canadian Studies
• Tracey Wodnisky for “Exploration of Conflicting “Land” Ideologies between Indigenous Peoples and Colonial Settlers on Turtle Island”
• Samantha Peever for “A Roller Coaster of Emotions: The History of Canadian Studies as a University Degree”
• Anne White for “Memorializing Colonial Trauma: The Case for Public Indigenous Memory Art”

Brendan Edge, now studying in the Frost Centre at Trent University pursing his M.A. in Canadian and Indigenous Studies, was also awarded the Peterborough Historical Atlas Prize for his paper, “Canada as a 'Destination' In Life of Pi.” The Atlas Prize is awarded annually to the best undergraduate paper overall on a Canadian Subject as determined by the awards committee.

The Carolyn Thomson Memorial Scholarship this year was awarded to the two Canadian Studies students who had the highest GPA of a major or joint major. The winners of this year’s scholarships were Kelsey Morewood and Mary Parsons.

Samantha Peever was named this year’s recipient of the Mary Northway Scholarship, an award given to the student taking a Canadian Studies major or joint major entering fourth-year.

The event also marked the revitalization of the International Student Canadian Travel Prize, an award that intends to make funds available to international students at Trent who wish to see more of Canada during their time here. Molly Dowrick, an undergraduate student on exchange from Swansea, England, took advantage of her award to travel across the country, spending time in Quebec City and Vancouver, and seeing some of the country by rail.  While graduate student, Moritz Ingerwersen from the Cultural Studies Ph.D. program, took his research interests of the intersections between landscape, literature and culture north, and explored the Klondike region near Dawson City, Yukon. 

Hayley Raymond was also recognized for her recent study award that allowed her to participate in the Dalhousie Summer Institute for Migration and Immigration. The award allowed Ms. Raymond to complete a final credit for her degree, while visiting sites related to her research interests. Shannon Culkeen was also recognized for her Crystal Verduyn Book Prize win from earlier this year, for having the highest average in Canadian Women’s Writing.