Mount Allison University Philosophy, Politics, and Economics student Martha Pitre is in the running for the McCall MacBain Scholarships, Canada’s first comprehensive leadership-based scholarship program for master’s and professional studies.

The scholarship enables students to pursue a fully-funded graduate degree at McGill University while participating in an intensive leadership development program. McCall MacBain Scholars are matched with mentors, advisors, and coaches who accompany them on their journey.

Pitre will be among 50 Canadian finalists representing 28 universities at a final round of interviews from March 24 to 26. She is the first student from Mount Allison to be selected as a finalist. During the interviews, she will meet with leaders from academia, business, government, and the social sector. Final interviews are planned to take place in Montréal, with travel costs covered.

Nearly 700 people applied for the McCall MacBain Scholarships this year, and 146 participated in regional interviews with local leaders in November before the 50 finalists were selected. Up to 20 McCall MacBain Scholars will be chosen after final interviews.

Finalists were chosen based on their character, community engagement, leadership potential, entrepreneurial spirit, academic strength, and intellectual curiosity. They include aspiring dentists, engineers, entrepreneurs, community leaders, scientists, lawyers, policy-makers, doctors, public health specialists, and more.

Pitre is in her final year of PPE studies in Mount Allison’s Frank McKenna School of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. As editor-in-chief of the university’s independent student newspaper, she worked to improve the newspaper’s distribution plan, host community-building events, increase its online presence, and implement a new internal communications plan.

Pitre also contributes to the Atlantic Journal of International Studies, organizes events for her program’s student society, and facilitates an activism-focused book club. She works part-time as a teaching assistant at the university and as an intern with the International Institute for Child Rights and Development. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in political science.

“I feel grateful to be selected as a finalist for the McCall MacBain Scholarships,” said Pitre. “The other students I met during the first round of interviews were inspiring, smart and kind. It is such an honour to be counted among them.”

“The McCall MacBain Scholarship finalists have demonstrated empathy, integrity, and courage in a rapidly changing world,” said Natasha Sawh, Dean of the McCall MacBain Scholarships. “While their undergraduate experiences may have differed from what they initially expected, these students have dedicated their time and talents to a wide array of initiatives. They have distinguished themselves through their commitment to meaningful social change.”

The McCall MacBain Scholarship covers tuition and fees for the program of study, a living stipend of $2,000 per month, mentorship, coaching and leadership development opportunities.

Finalists who are not selected as McCall MacBain Scholars will be eligible for a $10,000 Finalist Award for their studies at McGill.

The scholarships are the result of a landmark $200 million gift, which at the time was the largest single donation in Canadian history, by John and Marcy McCall MacBain. The scholarship program will expand internationally over the next decade, with nearly 300 McCall MacBain Scholars selected by 2030. Applications for the first global cohort, comprising 20 Canadians and 10 international students, will open in June 2022 for September 2023 admission.