Eleven Oakville Soccer Club (OSC) players have each been awarded $1,500 scholarships as they prepare to head off to university this fall.
The club announced the scholarships at an awards ceremony on July 18, 2024. The players and their families filled the room with smiles as the club, to which they had dedicated most of their youth, recognized them for their hard work.
"There's a different level of pride you feel when you see people you've watched grow up and have personal relationships with go on to do amazing things," said OSC Executive Director Katryna Indewey.
"This is not an easy decision," Indewey added, referring to the selection process. "It takes review and reading applications and really making sure that the scholarships go to the right place."
This year's scholarship recipients from OSC and the universities they will be attending are:
- Amrik Bal - University of Toronto
- Astrid Hancocks - Western University
- Felipe Crespo - University of Toronto
- Chloë Dacey - University of British Columbia
- Elena Schers - University of Guelph
- Tristan Dahdal - McMaster University
- Celeste Tassone - University of Guelph
- Teagan Gregoris - University of Guelph
- Nyssa Navalta - Brock University
- Lauryn Baptiste - Carleton University
- Kaitlyn Iannone - University of Toronto
The scholarships are open to OSC members, including players, referees, and volunteers who have made positive contributions to soccer, the Club, and the community. Every year, OSC encourages all eligible participants to apply.
Reflecting on her achievement, scholarship recipient Kaitlyn Iannone said, "It's reminding me of where I spent a lot of my time as a kid and all the things I learned through Oakville Soccer Club: leadership and teamwork."
"Overall, I'm really grateful for everything they gave me. It's a reminder and motivation for why I'm going to school; it's for the people around me, and it's special to get it from an organization like this."
Each year, OSC runs a Scholarship Program to support its members in their pursuit of post-secondary education and typically chooses ten athletes. Thanks to support from donors, this year they were able to help out eleven athletes. Since the program started, OSC has given over $120,000 in scholarships.