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L-R: Safe AbuJayyab, Jordan Cole, Declan Hartery and Megan Kinch

Four outstanding high school students are winners of the prestigious Currie Undergraduate Scholarships at the University of New Brunswick.

The scholarships, valued at $65,000 each, were established in 2004 by one of Canada’s most accomplished business leaders and philanthropists, UNB Chancellor Emeritus Dr. Richard J. Currie, who was a Beaverbrook scholar as a young man. Each year, the Currie Scholarships recognize Atlantic Canadian high school students for their potential leadership skills, present community involvement, academic success and obstacles overcome.

This year’s recipients are Safe AbuJayyab, Jordan Cole, Declan Hartery, and Megan Kinch.

Safe AbuJayyab is a Grade 12 student at Simonds High School in Saint John, where he is student council co-president. He has played high school soccer and badminton and is a member of the school’s swim team. A cadet with the Royal Canadian Air Cadets since 2016, in 2020 he founded the 161 Virtual Cadet Fitness Challenge to promote fitness and unify his community. He is the highest rank at his squadron, holding the rank of squadron commander. For the past year, he has been a cadet correspondent, acting as a spokesperson for the cadet program via traditional and social media outlets.

Jordan Cole of Riverview will graduate in June from Riverview High School, where she is a member of the grad class executive. She has played volleyball and been a member of the school band throughout her high school career, as well as playing softball with the Moncton Fastpitch Association since 2011. She hopes to be a member of New Brunswick’s Canada Summer Games softball team in 2022. Along with part-time work, she volunteers as a tutor and with multiple baseball organizations in the greater Moncton area.

Grand Bay-Westfield’s Declan Hartery will come to UNB from Harbour View High School. He is the Grade 12 representative on the student council and has competed with the school’s rowing team in all four years of high school. He is the founder and president of the school’s climate action group, a senior debater on the debate team, and a member of the renaissance club. He has volunteered with Ecoschools Outreach and the Climate Leadership Corps. In 2020, he was selected to participate in the prestigious SHAD program.

Megan Kinch of Bloomfield Station, P.E.I., is a Grade 12 student at Westisle Composite High School. A soccer player at the provincial level, she also plays AA basketball, is involved with track and field, badminton and rugby, and is captain of the school’s power lifting team. Along with part-time employment, she volunteers at her church and as a peer helper and gymnastics coach. She is a member of the sports and technology executive of Westisle’s student council.

All four Currie Scholars will begin degree programs at UNB in September 2021. Abujayyab is enrolled in the bachelor of science program on UNB’s Saint John campus. Cole and Hartery are both enrolled in the bachelor of science in engineering program on the Fredericton campus, and Kinch will pursue a bachelor of nursing on the Fredericton campus.

The Currie Undergraduate Scholarships are awarded to students beginning a degree program at UNB upon graduation from a high school in any of the four Atlantic provinces. These scholarships, which essentially pay all costs associated with any four-year undergraduate program, are intended to support the education of future leaders.

Dr. Currie started university at UNB and ended with an MBA from Harvard. He served as UNB Chancellor from 2003 to 2013 and became Chancellor Emeritus in May 2014. Dr. Currie played a fundamental role in the development, design, and financing of the state-of-the-art Richard J. CURRIE CENTER on UNB’s Fredericton campus. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a member of the Order of New Brunswick, and a Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.

Media contact: Kelsey Pye