John Abbott College student wins prestigious Loran Scholar Award

A John Abbott College student has been named a 2023 Loran Scholar.

Gracie Diabo, a student in the Double DEC: Science and Social Science program at the English CEGEP located on Montreal’s West Island, was selected by the Loran Scholars Foundation among 36 exceptional candidates from a pool of nearly 4,800 applicants who demonstrated their drive to step up in the face of challenges and make positive change in their communities across the country.

“The feeling of becoming a Loran Scholar is indescribable and I am still processing it,” said Diabo in a press release. “This has opened so many new opportunities, and I am feeling grateful and excited for the future.”

The only award of its kind in the country, the Loran Award is a four-year leadership enrichment program consisting of summer work experiences, mentorship, scholar gatherings, an annual living stipend, and a tuition waiver at one of 25 university partners.

“it just gives me some more confidence that I can keep going and keep doing what I’m doing, especially going into university and how this award will support me throughout,” said Diabo.

Diabo says she’s excited to be able to represent her home community, Indigenous students and youth, and all those that support her, including the John Abbott community.

“The first time that I met Gracie was actually at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gracie really shined. She stood out and she organized and she motivated, and she got the other people on board to create a kind of a community when we really needed that,” said Mark McGuire, a humanities professor at John Abbott College.

Years of community involvement rewarded

“I hope to inspire more students and youth to become involved and play active roles in their communities,” said Diabo. “With this, I look forward to continuing to grow along my journey with Loran, and uplift others to do the same.”

Diabo is the Founder and President of the Indigenous club at John Abbott College. She is also a member and former executive of the student union and a former member of the John Abbott College Foundation Board of Directors.

She has volunteered abroad in Peru and Costa Rica helping renovate community spaces and, during the pandemic, she volunteered at local flu vaccine clinics.

“We are so excited and very proud for Gracie on this comprehensive and well-deserved award,” said Dennis Waide, Director of Student Services at John Abbott College.

“Gracie truly embodies the John Abbott College student experience through her energy and selfless commitments at school and in extracurricular activities.”

“The Loran Scholarship and these other opportunities that she’s getting, it’s not just about recognizing her past accomplishments. It’s really like investing in her future potential, like me and like little loran Scholars and the foundation and all these other people, they see something really special in Gracie, and they want to support her and they want to encourage her. And then we want to we want to see what she can accomplish and bring back to us. So we’re really proud. We’re really excited. We’re really moved,” said McGuire.