TOYOTA CANADA – Jessica Magonet of Montreal, Quebec, is the winner of the 2011 Toyota Earth Day Scholarship National Award. While 35 regional winners have hailed from Quebec over the nine years of the program, Jessica is the first national winner of Canada’s top environmental scholarship from the province. Jessica’s achievements were celebrated at an awards ceremony during the Green Vehicle Rendez-Vous, presented by Toyota Canada, at the Parc Marie-Victorin in Kingsey Falls, Quebec. Jessica was presented with a Panasonic notebook computer and a custom-crafted glass sculpture in addition to the $5,000 award she received as a regional scholarship recipient.
Hundreds of students from across Canada applied for Canada’s top environmental scholarship, and a select group of just 20 regional winners were awarded Toyota Earth Day Scholarships by a prestigious panel of regional judges. From this select group, Jessica, a student at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, was named the national winner for her outstanding achievements and contributions to environmental community service, academics and extracurricular participation.
Jessica co-developed a five-year action plan to reduce her school’s ecological footprint and founded the school’s environmental club. She led many successful projects including the installment of a student-managed composting system, a centre for recycling environmentally harmful objects and a two-day conference for Quebec and Ontario students to discuss the link between environmental degradation and world poverty.
“Jessica is a shining example of environmental commitment and action,” said Jed Goldberg, president of Earth Day Canada. “She has taken an active role in improving the state of the environment and will no doubt continue to be an inspirational leader for positive environmental change.”
Jessica is currently the Chair of the Sierra Youth Coalition Executive Committee and participates actively in improving the environment and educating those around her about environmental stewardship.
“Jessica has demonstrated great dedication and leadership as environmental advocate and we commend her for all she has already achieved,” said Yoichi Tomihara, President & CEO Toyota Canada Inc. “We are very pleased to honour Jessica with the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship National Award, and are certain that she will continue to share her passion for environmental stewardship and help shape a more sustainable future.”
The Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program was established by Earth Day Canada, with financial support from the Toyota Canada Foundation, to reward and encourage environmental commitment and action among students. This entrance scholarship is presented to graduating high school and CEGEP students entering their first year of post-secondary education. Recognizing that environmental issues are increasingly being tackled through multidisciplinary approaches, winners are selected regardless of their intended program of study. Now in its ninth year, $700,000 has been awarded to 140 exceptional young Canadians through the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program.
