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Four high school students are winners of the prestigious Currie 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. Each year, the Currie Scholarships recognize and pay tribute to Atlantic Canadian high school students for their leadership skills, community involvement and academic success.

This year’s recipients – Lily Belyea, Kaleigh Bourgeois, Evan Dicesare, and Bennett Dressler – are outstanding examples of the values Dr. Currie outlined when the scholarship was established.

Lily Belyea will graduate from Saint John High School in Saint John, N.B., where she is a keen athlete, having played water polo and basketball for her high school and been captain of the swim team for the past two years. She has worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor at the Canada Games Aquatics Centre and for the Saint John Fundy Aquatics Centre and has swum competitively since 2012. Outside of the pool, Ms. Belyea is an active volunteer, having given her time to Meals on Wheels, Special Olympics NB, and a local nursing home.

Kaleigh Bourgeois is a Grade 12 student at Riverview High School in Riverview, N.B., where she has been a member of the band and the civics club. As part of the Current Generation program, where students use their in-class learning to solve real-world problems, Ms. Bourgeois has contributed to the design of solar lamps to be sent around the world. She has volunteered widely, including with Harvest House, Run for the Cure, and a local nursing home.

Evan Dicesare will come to UNB from Stephenville High School in Stephenville, N.L. Mr. Dicesare is founder and president of his high school’s debate club and two-year student council vice-president. A SHAD and Duke of Edinburgh program participant, Mr. Dicesare is secretary of his town’s Leo club, a non-profit youth organization that raises money for local charities, and has volunteered with the SPCA and a local senior’s home. In 2019 he was selected as one of 16 recipients of the Beaverbrook Vimy Prize, including an immersive two-week educational program in Belgium and France.

Bennett Dressler is a Grade 12 student at Moncton High School in Moncton, N.B., where he is active in student government and leadership groups, and has participated in track and field, cross country, lacrosse, and dragon boat racing. He is a member of the astronomy club, an organizer of his school’s roots and shoots community projects initiative, and a math peer tutor. He is a longtime minor hockey player and has volunteered his time with many organizations, including the local food bank and the Legion’s poppy fundraiser.

Ms. Bourgeois and Mr. Dressler will enroll in UNB’s engineering program in the fall of 2020, while Ms. Belyea will enroll in the nursing program and Mr. Dicesare in the bachelor of philosophy in interdisciplinary leadership.

The Currie 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 as a Beaverbrook Scholar 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

Photo: Kaleigh Bourgeois, Bennett Dressler, Lily Belyea and Evan Dicesare