Fourth annual John and Andrée Aylen Memorial Dinner held at the Rideau Club in Ottawa

On April 25, board members, the scholarship selection committee, special guests and friends of the Foundation gathered at the Rideau Club for the John and Andrée Aylen Memorial Dinner, both of whom were instrumental in founding the scholarship and perpetuating the McEuen legacy. Special guests included Fred Martin, long-time friend of the Foundation and dear friend of Dolly and Mhairi McEuen and especially to John and Andrée Aylen for more than 60 years.

The group was privileged to welcome 2 scholars at he dinner this year: Philippe Beauregard (1995) and Julia Sawatzky (2013). Sawatzky, who flewin  from Edmonton with her mother Valerie for the occasion, gave an impromptu and heartfelt testimonial to her St. Andrews education and her recent Rhodes Scholarship. 

The board was also pleased to welcome Don Nerbas, chair of the McEuen-St. Andrews Chair in Canadian-Scottish Studies at McGill University who thanked the Foundation for the lead gift that ultimately made the chair possible and spoke about its plans in 2019 and beyond,

2013 McEuen Alumna Julia Sawatzky receives Rhodes Scholarship

The McEuen Scholarship Foundation congratulates 2013 scholar Julia Sawatzky on her recently-announced Rhodes Scholarship.
 
Sawatzky, who was awarded the McEuen Scholarship after graduating from high school in Calgary, went on to earn a BSc (Hons) in Medicine at St. Andrews and is currently pursuing her MD at the University of Alberta.
 
As part of her studies in Scotland, she was able to work in Tanzania and Guinea, sharing her medical expertise as well as her love for dance with locals. A trained classical dancer since her youth, Sawatzky is a member of University of Alberta’s MOD Contemporary Dance Movement troupe.
 
Sawatsky impressed the Rhodes Trust as she had the McEuen Foundation and she got the call that she’d been selected to pursue her studies at Oxford University in fall 2019. Sawatsky's intent is to contribute to tropical medicine and public health, which aligns closely with Rhodes values, notably in supporting those who “fight the world’s fight.”
 
Sawatsky hopes are to practise pediatric medicine while continuing to conduct research, eventually moving into a global health leadership role and advocating for meaningful policy change.
 
The McEuen Scholarship Foundation is proud to have been able to support Julia in her first university experience and thrilled to follow her bright academic and professional progress as she returns to study in the UK.
 

Are you in touch with any of these past winners of the McEuen Scholarship? If so, please pass this on and encourage them to contact us to get on our email list and join our Facebook page.

1978 Robert A. MacLean

1981 Mary C. Hunisett-Stewart

1982 Catherine Joy Archibald

1984 James Maitland Campbell

1986 Brenda Susan Rapley

1987 Margaret Rhiannon Purdy (Purdie)

1991 Hannah Cathleen Grant

1992 Suzanne M. Neilson

1993 James Alexander Irvine