Rev. Vince Murnaghan Memorial Scholarship awarded to Estefania Bolanos Sanguesa
Annual Scholarship awarded to First-Year UPEI student
This year's recipient of the Rev. Vince Murnaghan Scholarshop is Estefania Bolanos Sanguesa. Estefania is a first-year student in Biotechnology at UPEI.
From Estefania: My dedication to environmental and social justice is evidenced through my active involvement in organizations such as Fridays for Future and Youth Climate Save, where I have led and participated in environmental awareness campaigns and mobilizations to promote climate action and protect our planet. Additionally, I am part of Nanas Collective, a feminist collective dedicated to helping women in situations of violence. This experience has strengthened my commitment to gender equity and the fight against violence.
The Rev. Vincent Murnaghan Memorial Scholarship, totaling $1,000 honours the late Reverend Vincent Murnaghan. Father Murnaghan was a Professor of Commerce at St. Dunstan's University (SDU) and served as an administrator within the Commerce faculty.
Father Murnaghan was also a founding member of Cooper Institute. He firmly believed in the power of oppressed and marginalized people to create social change, which is one of the goals of Cooper Institute. He also believed that people who receive formal education should be expected to share their experiences and learnings with others who do not have this opportunity.
The scholarship is awarded to a qualified refugee or international student displaying commitment to working for social justice and to improving the living conditions in their local/global community.