On an annual basis, Sport PEI awards three student-athlete scholarships valued at $1000. The criteria used to select the recipients includes achievements in sport, the classroom and their communities.
This year, the scholarships were made possible thanks to donations from Sport Centre Physiotherapy, Gemini Screen Printing & Embroidery, and Discount Car & Truck Rental. The 2018 Sport PEI Scholarship recipients are Lauren Lenentine (Bluefield), Emma Jinks (Charlottetown Rural), and Chris McQuaid (Colonel Gray).
Each of the student-athletes has excelled in the classroom, their sport, and their community. In addition to the three Sport PEI recipients, Ethan Boyd, of Three Oaks Senior High has been awarded the Earl F. Smith scholarship. The honor is named respectively after the PEI Sports Hall of Famer and recognizes a high school graduate embodying the spirit of multi-sport and competition.
Lauren Lenentine, a Bluefield graduate, will be studying Science at Dalhousie University in the fall and has plans to become a physiotherapist. This past year, she was an alternate for Team Canada at the World Junior Curling Championships in Scotland where Canada won gold. Lauren is a nine-time PEI provincial curling champion and was runner-up at the 2018 PEI Scotties Provincial Tournament of Hearts. She was recently selected as a recipient of the Sandra Schmirler scholarship, one of the most prestigious accolades in curling. The selection process for this scholarship is rigorous and competitive. Winners excel both athletically and academically. They also need to show community engagement aligned with a commitment to giving back and keeping Sandra’s legacy alive.
Emma Jinks, a four-time Canadian National Squash Champion and graduate from Charlottetown Rural, was the top recruit for the University of Virginia in the NCAA. She will play as the number one or number two spot on the varsity squad and plans on competing all four years with the Division One school. This past year, Emma won her third consecutive Sport PEI Junior Female Athlete of the Year award. She competed in the number one spot for Canada at the World Junior Squash Championships in New Zealand and finished ninth with thirty-five countries in attendance. At the Canadian Junior Open, which hosted eighteen countries, and 273 athletes, Emma managed to win the top tier U19 women’s division. She was the only Canadian to win a division in the entire tournament. With all her travel, Emma still kept a 94% grade average and has her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Chris McQuaid may not spend much time in PEI while competing in the QMJHL, but with hard work, he will graduate from Colonel Gray this year with a 95% grade average. He plans to continue playing for the Gatineau Olympiques this fall while studying Business online at UPEI.When he has time, Chris also competes as a track athlete and is undefeated at all events he has participated in during the school year. A community volunteer on PEI and Quebec, Chris has a bright future ahead of him.
The Earl F. Smith recipient, Ethan Boyd, has his sights set on making the Dalhousie men’s volleyball team this fall while studying Business Management. As the top male volleyball, and basketball, player in the province this year, Ethan leads by example with a quite personality but explosive skill. This was never more evident than when he helped Three Oaks High School win three volleyball championships in a row and a basketball championship for the first time in six years. Ethan is also involved in the community with Big Brothers/Big Sisters and spent time in Mozambique, Africa helping those in small communities.