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Mallaig student is Loran Award finalist

Seventeen-year-old Burhanuddin Yamani, has been named a finalist for the 2023 Loran Award - a scholarship valued at over $100,000 over four years.

MALLAIG – Seventeen-year-old Burhanuddin Yamani, has been named a finalist for the 2023 Loran Award - a scholarship valued at over $100,000 over four years. 

This year, 36 Loran Awards will be offered by the Loran Scholars Foundation, Canada’s largest undergraduate merit-based award. A pool of 4,800 applicants applied for the award and Yamani – a student at École Mallaig School – is among the 90 finalists. 

Community and school involvement 

Yamani's involvement in the community and school is extensive, including founding a club for Grade 3 to 4 students, where he works with young students to inspire them about science. 

He said the creation of the club was made possible with the guidance and support of Mallaig School’s principal Kellie Handford, after seeing the lack of “appreciation” and “opportunities” there were for young students to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). 

“It’s not all just paperwork, equation, then questions,” he said. The club follows a hands-on approach to explore what science truly is about. 

Yamani said that science can be intimidating to kids, as they may not immediately understand its relevance to their lives. By showing kids how science works, he hopes it fosters their curiosity and interest in STEM. 

In addition to holding various executive positions in both school and community groups over the years, Yamani's dedication to community service extends beyond school walls in Mallaig. 

He has volunteered as a Madrasah teacher and kitchen staff at his mosque, helping kindergarten up to Grade 10 students study Islamic history, law, and practices, for example. 

“The madrasah is very similar to Sunday school that happens in many churches,” said Yamani. He reiterated madrasah gives youths the opportunity to study Islamic culture and religion, including how to balance living an Islamic lifestyle, and how to live with kindness. 

Academics 

Yamani's academic achievements include interning at a national engineering firm, where he experienced the career firsthand. “It was an eye opener... an opportunity see life not just after high school but also after university.” 

In addition, he also served on the Minister's Youth Council in 2020 alongside Sehar Qureshi from Two Hills School. 

RELATED: Two St. Paul Education students chosen for Minister's Youth Council 

“That was the first that I have been involved on a provincial level at a very big scale,” he said. “People from across the province came together and discussed the province’s education system.” 

It was also an opportunity for Yamani to connect and meet people with similar and different mindsets. “It was just an eye-opening experience.” 

When asked how he balances all his commitments and activities, Yamani admits that, “I would definitely say there are times when I do get stressed and frustrated... it becomes really hard to try and get things to work – especially when things aren’t working out.” 

But, he has found ways to use the stress and frustrations as “fuel” to get things done. He clarified that it involves “a lot of cooling down,” stepping back, evaluating, breaking down a problem, and then solving it. 

Gratitude 

Despite Yamani’s extensive resume, he says that while he works hard, he would not be the person he is today without the support and guidance of other people. 

St. Paul Education teacher David Michaud, for example, played a big part in forming “these traits and character that I have today.” His former teacher also pushed him to apply for the Loran Award. 

According to Michaud, Yamani is one of the most curious people he has met. Along with the curiosity, “[Yamani] has the innate need to find those answers.” 

“So, as soon as there’s something that he’s interested in... it’s a matter of pointing him in that direction and he takes off with it,” said Michaud. “I’m really honoured that he mentioned me, but in all honesty, I just pointed, and he went.” 

When asked how Michaud feels about Yamani qualifying as a Loran finalist, he said, “[Yamani] should be really proud and I’m super proud of him... I still feel that there’s more coming for him and we’re going to see great things from this kid,” said Michaud. 

Yamani also thanked others who have helped him over the years, including Hanford, who he says encourages and pushes students to pursue their ideas.  

“She really encourages growth.” 

He also thanked Mallaig teacher Claude Cote, who helped get him interested in science. “We were always doing experiments when I was younger.” 

Other teachers he gave special thanks to for helping develop as a student and an individual include, “Leane Jean, Raedean Washburn, Laura Sloan, Leon Ward... if we sat here, it would us forever to go through the list.” 

Ultimately, “It takes a village to raise a child,” he acknowledged. 

The finalists, hailing from across the nation, were scheduled to travel to Toronto for the Loran’s National Interviews from Feb. 24 to 26. 


Mario Cabradilla

About the Author: Mario Cabradilla

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