Sumaya's Loran Scholarship Story

Subtext for photo: Sunday, December 8, 2019 – Group photo of Semi-Finalists at the Edmonton Regional Interviews. An incredible day that is rich with nostalgia, and the first time I met Patty!

I remember first hearing about the Loran Scholarship on my high school’s morning intercom announcements sometime in late September, 2019. That day, I hadn’t thought much of it...or even applying. The thought of a $100 000 scholarship was so grand and daunting to me; it was unattainable, and more truthfully, incomprehensible for little ol’ 2019 Sumaya. This proved to be the first sign of imposter syndrome for me—and we see how this develops as my story unfolds. Personally, I find that I am the type who is internally driven to—in any way—better the community and seek positive change. Every community that I have been a part of, may that be the Rotary Club, the Somali Community, etc, has at some point benefitted me when I was growing up. I had a strong urge to reciprocate those efforts—knowing how much I was impacted by other change-makers. At the time, however, I felt that it was wrong to “cash out” those experiences and efforts for a scholarship—as if doing so would lessen the meaning behind those actions. I found out later on that a scholarship is not necessarily a “cheque” based solely on the good that you have done, but rather on the potential that you have to invest back into the community.

Continuing on with my story—it was actually one of my close friends that prompted me to take on the application. He emphasized that one of the beauties of scholarships is that you don’t really lose anything in applying... and I had to agree with him on that. Shoutout to Momo for those words of wisdom! I likely would not even be telling you this story if he was not there to push me through my initial lack of motivation.

At the time, I was pretty unfamiliar with the Loran Scholarship, so I wanted to know a bit more about it. Once I began to research the Loran Award, I honestly could not fully wrap my head around it! It was the first time I came across a scholarship that was much more than a monetary award—it was a genuine and long-term investment into the futures of young Canadians. There was a huge emphasis on mentorship and broadening your idea of leadership—may that be through public policy, community development, or pursuing entrepreneurship. It was a chance for someone like myself to access an incredible number of resources and networking opportunities that could completely revolutionize how I pictured both my future and my potential.

This was when the excitement hit me.

I would read stories of current scholars and alumni, and how both their personal and professional lives were enriched by the Loran Scholarship. To me, this was a pivotal moment in my journey. I was moved to a place in which I felt that I should craft my application with a lot of care in order to stand out. I had many unique experiences throughout my high school years: I hosted a podcast, went to Belize on a humanitarian trip, organized a basketball group for Muslim women, mentored Somali youth, etc. And although these seem great on the surface level, it was the nuances in the stories that I told, and with what I took from each experience that brought my application to life. If I were to give any prospective applicants a single advice, it would be to really take your time on the application. You should want your application to be more than just a paper, it should show your journey—through failures and moments of triumph alike. Do not see it as a resumé that you should beef up with meaningless extracurriculars just to look good. Truly ensure that there is value in everything you put down on the application—trust me, interviewers can tell the difference.

Once I found out that I was a semi-finalist, I could not believe I overcame the insane odds! I’m a big math person so I knew that even just making it to the next step was an incredible accomplishment. Even though the interviewing process was very extensive, I experienced a great amount of personal growth as a result. You do a lot of personal reflecting during these interviews, and at times, you may find that the interviews are modelled in a way that seeks to understand your genuine personality and leadership qualities, rather than the minute details of your application. To me, this made the interviews seem much more like a natural conversation, and my nerves began to relax. It also helped that the other semi-finalists were some of the coolest people I have ever met; it was inspiring to be in a room with so much potential! To this day, I am still in contact with a lot of them.

A couple of days went by and the imposter syndrome really kicked in. I knew that many students at regionals were more than qualified for a place at national selections. So, when I got the call saying that I got a spot at nationals, I went through a cycle of disbelief, shock, and amazement. As I did the math in my head once again, I was in awe that I snagged my way through a very slim acceptance rate for the second time. At that point, I was rather happy that I took my chances with even submitting the initial application. It was also a very gratifying moment as I started to solidify the belief that I am capable of getting an award this prestigious. Rather than fulfilling that self confidence from external sources, I was actively moving into a mental state of self-reassurance and belief.

The National Selections weekend holds a special place in my heart as one of my favourite memories. I soaked up a great deal of knowledge from many of the great minds that surrounded the place—whether they were Staff, Alumni, current Scholars, and even other finalists. I remember leaving nationals with 80-something new friends and a very large Facebook group chat.

In retrospect, I can look back on my Loran journey—from the first time it came on the morning announcement, to the day the current CEO, Meghan Moore herself, called to tell me I actually got it—and be proud of how far I have come. Despite the self-doubt I had to overcome in order to rid my mental state of imposter syndrome, it was significant to me to understand that I was worthy of the Loran Award, and that a group of pretty amazing people were excited to take a shot on me.

La Fin :)