Победительница стипендии Уокеров похвалила сообщество Point Edward и готовится к учебе в Университете Гельфа

Walker scholarship winner sings Point Edward's praises Jordyn Guggisberg, this year's recipient of the Maynard and Rene Walker Family Scholarship, has called Point Edward home all her life. Article content Jordyn Guggisberg, this year’s recipient of the Maynard and Rene Walker Family scholarship, has called Point Edward home all 18 years of her life. The graduate of St. Patrick’s secondary school is the 12th village resident to receive the US$5,000 scholarship Mary Ellen Walker created in 2017 to honour her parents. Walker died unexpectedly a day after this year’s scholarship winner was announced in August. Recommended Videos “It’s very welcoming,” Guggisberg said about the village. She’s the youngest of three siblings but the only one to grew up entirely in Point Edward after the family moved there. “Everyone’s always willing to help out,” Guggisberg said about the community where she has been an active volunteer serving cookies at the firehall during Christmas in the Village, tutoring fellow students in math and French, helping collect food donations during the annual Irish Miracle, and helping out in other roles. Contributing to the community as a volunteer is one of the criteria for the scholarship, along with grades, financial need and the student’s own contribution to their education. “I’m super grateful,” Guggisberg said. “It means a lot to know my hard work didn’t go unseen. I’m also excited to have a little help with school.” She’s heading to the University of Guelph this month to study finance and economics. The daughter of a lawyer, Guggisberg said law school is something she’s considering. “I’m going to see how I feel after the four years,” she said. “A lot can change.” “We’re extremely proud,” her father, Jamie Guggisberg, said about the scholarship. She received it in person from Walker the day before the former village resident died unexpectedly Aug. 26. Walker was 72, according to an obituary posted by Sarnia’s Smith Funeral Home and Family Centre. “I feel lucky I got to know her . . . and super grateful to her and her family,” Jordyn Guggisberg said. Walker attended Bridgeview elementary school, in Point Edward, the former SCITS secondary school in Sarnia, as well as Western aand McMaster universities. She worked for 3M and moved to the U.S. where she continued to live in retirement. She often travelled home to the Point Edward area to visit family and regularly attended the annual announcement of the scholarship recipients. “It brings great joy to see the quality of candidates applying for the scholarship each year and we really look forward to hearing the wonderful things that our scholarship recipients achieve,” Walker said in a new release announcing this year’s award. Walker’s father, Maynard, lived in Point Edward his whole life where he was a volunteer firefighter and fire chief for many years. Her mother, Rene Walker, moved to Point Edward in 1949 after marrying Maynard and was active in the community’s presbyterian church. “I wanted to do something to honour my parents, and I tried to think up something that would be aligned with their values,” Walker said in 2017 when the scholarship was announced. “Education was certainly valued, helping others was valued and also putting yourself in a position where you were self-sufficient was valued, as well,” she said. “Often, when we talked, she commented about how she enjoyed hearing from the different scholars and their families about what they were doing,” said Mayor Bev Hand. “She was proud to be a part of what these students were accomplishing.” Hand said several recipients have completed their education, with help from the scholarship, and have begun careers. “The contribution that Mary Ellen has made to the young people of the Point Edward community has been greatly appreciated,” Hand said.