Marny Bruce - CCAH Program Manager
Amanda Sullivan
Alicia Sullivan was sure that her daughter Amanda would excel at anything she chose to do.
The multi-talented 17-year-old Oakville, teen proved her mother right, and then some.
"My daughter recently called herself the scholarship lady," Alicia says. "She said, ’Mom, I feel like I’m the Scholarship Lady.’
"Six years ago, my daughter became a Centennial Scholar at Appleby College, a prestigious school in Oakville," she said. The needs-based Centennial Scholarship program covers full tuition costs for exceptional students between Grades 7 and 12.
Most recently, Amanda received an $80,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship, which will cover her tuition at Hamilton’s McMaster University as she works towards her four-year degree in the Mathematics and Statistics Gateway program.
The vetting process for the STEM-based award is rigorous as only 100 scholarships are awarded among the 1,500 nominees submitted from more than 300,000 high school graduates.
"My mother is always encouraging me to apply for all the scholarships I can find," Amanda says. "I applied to six or seven scholarships for universities, and I got four."
The other three include two other McMaster University scholarships and a scholarship from the Mississauga chapter of the Congress of Black Women of Canada.
"I am extremely grateful and overwhelmed by all of the generosity that I have received," Amanda says. "I know my parents say I deserve it and that I have put in the work to get them, but I do feel overwhelmed by the generosity in a good way."
Alicia says the scholarships also offer mentorship opportunities, offering access to successful businesses and their leaderships.
Amanda’s path to Appleby began when her YMCA daycare at her public school received an email two days before the deadline for an Appleby scholarship, and the caregiver immediately thought of the then 11-year-old, Alicia says.
The daycare counsellor thought about who fit the criteria Appleby was seeking and immediately thought of Amanda, she says.
"So, she did middle school and high school at Appleby College," which has its lakefront 32-acre campus on Lakeshore Road, near Fourth Line. It was fascinating how she got in, Alicia says.
"We had between Tuesday and Thursday to prepare, and we submitted the application," Alicia says. "I remember that Tuesday evening before she went to a volleyball game, she wrote a statement about herself. It was a powerful statement that she wrote."
Alicia says Amanda maintained an average of 85 and above during her six years at the private school and peaked in Grade 12 with a 96 per cent average. That high average was achieved under adverse conditions, as Amanda suffered a concussion from playing soccer in 2020 a year earlier.
The teen still feels the post-concussion effects and can’t play her favourite sport. The injury sidelined her shortly after she was called to the U17 Jamaican national soccer team. Amanda says she was training for the CONCACAF tournament in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.
"And then later that year, I got a concussion, and I had to stop playing soccer," she says. "That’s how my national team experience ended."
Nevertheless, Alicia says that Amanda pushed through school despite suffering the debilitating effects of the concussion.
"All through Grade 12, she applied herself despite the tough times she had with her energy, her concentration and focus, and she came out of school that well," she says.
Andrew Tyrrell, president of the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH), says that Amanda volunteered in numerous CCAH programs and initiatives over the years, including packaging and delivering meals with her mom in the No One Goes Hungry campaign.
"She’s much involved in the community, and now she’s a counsellor in our day camp," Tyrrell says.
He says the association allowed her to "shine in some of those leadership skills she has."
She is now working at the association’s BIPOC day camp, which runs five days a week for eight weeks through the summer. It includes steel pan and music lessons, recording music, art and cooking lessons, day trips to conservation areas and weekly discussions with a Halton Police community officer, a Black historian and an Indigenous elder.
"Amanda is a role model not only for the kids but her fellow day camp counsellors because, in that environment, there are many high achievers," Tyrrell says. "There are university engineering and nursing students, and she fits in quite well. That will be a network for her in the years to come."
Her community involvement during high school, which included being part of the Halton Regional Police youth council, also garnered her a Lieutenant-Governor’s community service award.
Tyrrell says he expects to hear "much more about her successes" in the future. The association will continue to stand by her in the same way Amanda stood by the CCAH with her volunteer work and community engagement.
"We tell volunteers if they commit to CCAH, we will also commit to them, their strength, growth and development," Tyrrell says. "Amanda is an example of that."
Alicia says she always believed there would “be greatness” in her children. Indeed, Amanda’s brother Daniel, 13, is carving his path as a Centennial Scholar at Appleby College.
"We’re lucky," Alicia says. "We have academically oriented children."
"Given the right environment and resources, they would maximize their potential, whatever that would look like," she says.
Nonetheless, Alicia says Amanda’s success didn’t necessarily come easily for her.
"I think Amanda sweats it all out, but with a lot of grace," she says. "She always looks unassuming. You never know how much is going on and percolating inside. You would think it comes naturally to her, but she has told me she works hard."
Amanda is very focused when she puts her mind to something, Alicia says.
Indeed, the teen sees herself entering the workforce specializing in data or computer sciences in five years as the first step into her career of building a company and giving back to the community.
"In 10 years, hopefully, I can have my start-up company in the field I’m working in," Amanda says. "As well, I also see myself giving back to the community and to all of the organizations I’ve gotten scholarships from either financially or by volunteering my time."
Alicia says when it comes to parenting, she sees herself as a coach, offering guidance, advice and support, and kids will find their way.
"I think she’s naturally talented and has God-given abilities, but she works hard, she’s focused and dedicated," she says. "When you combine hard work with opportunities and the right kind of planning, it just results in that kind of success."
"I would say to parents not to coddle their children. Kids are smart, and they know what they want," she says.
She says she’s lucky to have academically oriented children. But Alicia, who has a master’s in sociology, and her husband David, who has a master’s in economics, established an environment that allows their children to flourish in education.
"It’s only for us to give them the right coaching, support and environment," she says.
