Richmond student nets $10,000 Founder's Award

A Richmond student has just been awarded a $10,000 scholarship to follow her dream of helping to make equal access to healthcare for everyone.

McNair secondary alumnus Tasha-Aliya Kara was one of 35 people nationwide to receive help from the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation (CSTF), which awards first-generation students whose financial need may make it difficult for them to continue their studies.

Kara was given the CSTF’s Founder’s Award and is using the funds to enroll in a Master of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Health at University of Toronto, which will follow on from the BA in International Development, Gender, Sexuality, and Social Justice she obtained from McGill University in 2017.

Her family arrived in Canada as refugees from Uganda in the 1970s and faced numerous financial difficulties.

Through working a series of part-time jobs, Kara was able to support herself while pursuing her degree at McGill.

“I am a firm believer in ensuring equal access to health care for all,” said Kara.

“Throughout my varied professional and academic experience, I have placed social justice at the heart of what I do.

“I want to continue to critically examine the societal and personal determinants of health and I want to innovate more equitable solutions and strategies responding to the most pressing health emergencies of our time.”