Tara Skeffington of St. John’s, Crystal Donahue of Fox Harbour, Sammy Khalili of St. John’s, Sarah Whelan and Christopher White, both of Mount Pearl are the recipients of $750 scholarships awarded by Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC) for the Avalon/East region. The winners were announced today by Joan Marie Aylward, minister responsible for housing.

Each year NLHC awards scholarships to high school graduates and adults pursuing post-secondary education. The scholarships are awarded to children of clients, children of employees, and adult clients returning to school.Awards are offered on a regional basis — Avalon/East, Central and Western/Labrador.

Commenting on the scholarship program, Ms. Aylward said: “I would like to congratulate all of the winners of our NLHC scholarships for this year, as well as all applicants who applied. The pursuit of a post-secondary education takes a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I commend all of the scholarship winners and wish them well in their future endeavors.”

Tara Skeffington, winner of the adult scholarship, is currently attending the Centre for Nursing Studies in St. John’s where she is completing the Practical Nursing Program. Ms. Skeffington was chosen for the award based on an interview that assessed initiative, need, and community and work experience.

Crystal Donahue, daughter of Peter and Elaine Donahue, is the winner of an NLHC clients’ children scholarship. Crystal graduated from Laval Highschool in Placentia with an average of 88 per cent in level III courses. She is currently attending Memorial University, and her plans for the future include attending law school.

Sammy Khalili is the son of Clarines Rincon and Dr. Hassan Khalili. Clarines is the Librarian in NLHC’s Resource Centre. Sammy gradutated from Beaconsfield High School in St. John’s with an average of 95.11 per cent in level III courses. He is pursuing a degree in Life Sciences at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, with future plans for medical school.

Sarah Whelan is the daughter of David and Deborah Whelan. David is the Sales and Service Manager in the Property Services Division. Sarah graduated from Mount Pearl Senior High School with an average of 79.33 per cent in level III courses. She is currently attending Memorial University in St. John’s where she is completing a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with her sights also set on a degree in languages.

Christopher White is the son of Juanita Ivany. Juanita is a Clerk Typist in the Human Resources Division. Christopher graduated from Mount Pearl Senior High School with an average of 78.67 per cent in level III courses. He is currently attending Memorial University in St. John’s, and in the future, plans to pursue a degree in electrical engineering.

Winners of the adult scholarships are selected based on an interview that assesses initiative, community and work experience, and need.

Winners of the clients’ and employees’ children scholarships are chosen based on their overall average in level III courses. Applicants must achieve a minimum average of 75 per cent in final year high school courses to be considered eligible.

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For further information, contact:  
Madonna Walsh, Corporate Communications  
Telephone:  (709) 724-3059   
E-mail:  releases@nlhc.nf.ca