Impact of Giving

Mark and Megan Stewart hold a special place in Beaverbrook history: they are the first father-daughter pair of Beaverbrook Scholars, and they have both seen the direction of their lives change – thanks to these awards and their own willingness to embrace new opportunities as they arise.

Mark (BSc’87) expected to attend technical college after graduating from Fundy High School, but the Beaverbrook Entrance Scholarship rerouted the course of his life. “When the letter arrived to announce I’d been awarded a Beaverbrook Scholarship,” he says, “a door opened the financial means for me to attend university.”

Mark left UNB with a BSc in biology and went on to pursue graduate studies in biology at the University of Manitoba. Rather than a career in science, though, he made a radical jump to information systems. He has spent more than 30 years in consulting and senior leadership roles, helping companies use technology and software to transform how they do business.

Megan (JD’24) excelled throughout her school years, both in the classroom and on the basketball court. After graduating high school as valedictorian, she attended Schulich School of Business at York University on a basketball scholarship. When the COVID-19 pandemic closed the campus gyms in her final year, she pivoted to playing rugby and began to consider her next challenge. A last-minute decision to attend law school led to writing the LSAT at its next sitting, which in turn led to an offer she couldn’t refuse: a Beaverbrook Scholarship in Law. The financial relief from the award was enticing, she says, but it was the community that drew her in. “To be associated with such a prestigious group of award winners offered me something no other school could – a network that would be supportive of my career, regardless of the route I decided on.”

UNB holds fond memories for both father and daughter. Mark recalls attending Megan’s first home game with UNB rugby on College Field, and how it brought memories flooding back of his own nights on that field playing inter-residence soccer. “The best part of a 10 p.m. game time was the post-game refreshment trip to the Social Club at 11 p.m.!” he says. For her part, Megan loved her time at UNB Law, thanks to the school’s close culture and small class sizes, and she also contributed to two undefeated seasons for UNB REDS women’s rugby and, in her final year, a second-place AUS finish for REDS women’s basketball.

Asked what they have in common, Megan says that she and her dad share the same passion for learning and understanding the unknown. “A Stewart life will never be boring,” she says. “We constantly seek new challenges.”

“During my undergraduate days, I faithfully attended the Beaverbrook Scholarship dinners,” says Mark. “Forty years later, I had the honour in 2023 to attend the dinner with Megan. Lord Beaverbrook's UNB legacy has been a powerful influence in the Stewart family and has powerfully shaped our directions in life.”

Learn more about the impact of scholarships at UNB.