By Chad Polito
Special Collaboration
Kristopher Kanzler first came to BGC Dawson four years ago when invited by a friend. He was just entering Grade 7 at the time and was navigating the transition from elementary school to high school. “I was attracted to Dawson for the sports, leadership, and music and arts programs,” explains Kristopher. Kristopher spent the next several year learning new skills and actively participating in many club programs and activities.
In the summer of 2021, Kristopher heard about the Best Buy Canada national scholarship for postsecondary education and knew he had to apply. He received encouragement and support through the application process from club staff.
The Best Buy scholarship is part of a national 20-year partnership between BGC Canada and Best Buy Canada. The scholarships are designed to help students see postsecondary education as an achievable goal and are presented in three stages—a gift card to purchase a laptop in Grade 10, followed by $250 in the last year of high school to pay for postsecondary application fees, and finally $4,000 to pay for first year tuition and expenses.
Kristopher was one of 20 youth from across Canada awarded the 2021 Best Buy Scholarship on September 21st. “I could not be prouder of Kris” explains Darley Polony, youth programs coordinator at BGC Dawson. “He is so deserving of this scholarship not only for his personal academic achievements but for all of his accomplishments and community involvement. He is about to accomplish great things and I can not wait to see it!”
Asked about what this scholarship means for him, Kristopher replied “Getting this scholarship is huge. I am stoked! I would love to go on to CÉGEP to study arts & sciences. I am interested in 3D animation and would love to become an aerospace engineer!”
“Over the last two decades, Best Buy has gone above and beyond to support our Clubs and communities and give young people the tools to improve their situations,” says Owen Charters, President & CEO, BGC Canada. “The Grade 10 scholarships are a great example of their long-term vision—giving youth a laptop early on to help them succeed in high school, ensuring there are no barriers to university and college applications, and then removing financial stress from their first year by covering tuition and expenses.”
At BGC Dawson we strongly believe that opportunity changes everything. We know that this scholarship is just the beginning of many great things to come for Kristopher.
