Kevin Koopman is one of the 10 Canadian students selected to receive $7,500 towards his graduate studies this year from the Canadian Scholarship Trust Foundation.
Koopman was chosen from a pool of more than 123 applicants across Canada to receive the Rowland Lloyd Award based on his academic excellence, extra-curricular involvement and volunteer experience.
With a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in cellular and molecular biology from Brown University, Koopman recently completed his first year of medical school at the University of British Columbia. He will use these funds from CST to help finance his remaining three years of studies.
“Receiving this award from CST means the world to me,” said Koopman, who was born in Hope. “My wife also works part-time and has been supporting me since we moved back to Vancouver. Having some extra funds to help pay off our student loans and my tuition definitely makes it a little easier to breathe!”
Upon graduation, Koopman plans to specialize in family medicine and help individuals in underprivileged communities. A passionate volunteer, he has been deeply involved with École Ebenezer, a Haitian children’s school in Munoz, Dominican Republic ever since he initially volunteered with the project in 2006. It’s clear that Koopman’s future will include some sort of international humanitarian work.
“Because learning is so important to us, my wife and I also help finance the education of a young Haitian boy living in the Dominican Republic,” he added. “I was fortunate enough to benefit from the CST Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) that my parents set up many years ago, and I want other kids to be able to focus on their studies worry-free. Without the support I received towards my own education, I don’t think I’d be where I am today.”
Each year, CST grants graduate awards and scholarships to students from across Canada who benefited from a Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan and/or who has been accepted into their first year of a qualifying post-secondary program.