2020 Youth Education Award Recipient

James Wang (Mississauga, ON)

Pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Education at University of Windsor
Diagnosed with a Medulloblastoma at age 6

Generously funded in Memory of Angus King

I am honoured to be a recipient of the 2020 Youth Education Award. I am very happy to learn that I was selected and I am deeply appreciative of your support. I want to thank the generous contribution of the King family who generously funded this award. Words are not enough to express my appreciation for your generosity.

I am pursuing a concurrent music education undergraduate degree at Windsor University. I plan to become a music teacher to share the journey music has brought me to where I am today and to share my progress with others. Thanks to you, I am one step closer to that goal.

My Cancer treatment has left me with many side effects, which include high-frequency hearing loss, slow processing speed, short term memory loss, and language deficits. Despite all these side effects, cancer did not leave me without an appreciation for music. I have never viewed myself as being different than the rest of society, in fact, I view it as my own unique experience. Even though I have to work harder than others, it is a challenge that I welcome.

With the funds provided by this scholarship, I hope to one-day use music to make our world a better place. I am passionate about helping people as I have been the recipient of a lot of care during my sick days. Being a recipient of this scholarship means that there are no barriers that can stop me from achieving my dreams or define who I am. I know that it is through hard work and willingness to give back that will allow me to excel as a musician.

Having the financial aid from this scholarship will allow me much more time for me to focus on enhancing and developing my musical capabilities. Despite my disabilities, I want to help others in any way I can through music and to show the world that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Without a doubt, this scholarship will play a key role in achieving my educational dreams. Because of your generosity, the financial burden placed on me to pursue my education will be reduced. That means I can spend more time on my studies with less time worrying about my finances.

Thank you again for your generosity and support. I promise you that I will work very hard and eventually give the enjoyment of music to others, both as a teacher and possibly a scholarship to future students like myself.

May 2021 Update

Having the financial aid from this scholarship helped me tremendously through my 2020-2021 school year. It allowed me to focus on enhancing and developing my musical capabilities as well as my academics. This scholarship definitely played a crucial role in helping me to achieve my educational dreams.

With the Covid-19 pandemic, we all have faced many difficult situations and obstacles that deviate us from our established course of action. Because of your generosity, the financial burden as well as the struggle of online classes I have experienced reduced significantly in my pursuit of education. I could spend more time on my studies and continuously improve to become a better musician without having to spend too much of my time worrying about my finances.

During my 2020-2021 school year, I have found that music plays a crucial role to help bind society better and look towards the future especially during hard times. With this in mind, I would like to eventually give the enjoyment of music to others, both as a teacher and possibly a scholarship to future students like myself. With your generosity and support you have given me; I am one step closer to making this a reality.

Thank you again for your generosity and support and I promise you that I will continue to work very hard to achieve my dreams and show the world that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.