Guelph Region High School Student and Community Leader Named Recipient of Meridian's Sean Jackson Scholarship

Helping students who live with invisible disabilities is her source of inspiration

TORONTO, Sept. 13, 2022 /CNW/ - Meridian, Ontario's largest credit union and second largest in Canada, is proud to name Guelph Region resident, Alexandra Elmslie, as the 2022 recipient of the Meridian Sean Jackson Scholarship.

Each year, in honour of former CEO Sean Jackson, Meridian awards $10,000 to one Ontario high school student who has demonstrated both academic excellence and an outstanding commitment to building stronger communities.

"The Sean Jackson Scholarship is an opportunity for Meridian to recognize and reward Ontario's young leaders for their community initiative, innovation and impact," said Sari Arhontoudis, VP, Marketing, Meridian. "This year's recipient, Alexandra Elmslie, has focused on sharing her authentic lived experience to help others successfully navigate their own challenges by initiating a community initiative 'Wellness for All.' We are very proud to recognize Alexandra as our 2022 Sean Jackson Scholarship winner for her resolve to help her peers and contribute to the community at large."

As someone who lives with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alexandra uses her personal experience to offer tips and strategies for other students coping with similar challenges. Of all her self-driven initiatives, she is most proud of her "Wellness 4 All" educational program, where she provided tailored mental health support to over 200 students with intellectual and developmental disabilities across her school board.

"Providing love, support and encouragement for family, friends and your community is the most important thing you can do in life," said Alexandra. "I am truly honoured to be a recipient of Meridian's Sean Jackson Scholarship. I am excited to be able to pursue my education in an area that I am passionate about and will give focus to my commitment to community service in the years to come."

Alexandra is entering a Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Ontario, where she plans to specialize in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. The Sean Jackson Scholarship award will help to further her aspirations to build a career in psychiatry. One that features more understanding, authenticity and effective support for people who are neurodivergent.

Meridian's Sean Jackson Scholarship was created in honour of former Meridian CEO and avid community leader, Sean Jackson. Since the awards creation in 2015, Meridian has granted $80,000 to the eight Ontario high school student scholarship winners who have demonstrated both academic excellence and an outstanding commitment to community. For more information about Alexandra and the award, visit Sean Jackson Scholarship on our website.

We acknowledge the land on which we operate is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

With more than 75 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario's largest credit union, and second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of our more than 360,000 Members. Meridian has $28.8 billion in assets under management (June 30, 2022) and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 89 branches across Ontario, and business banking services in 15 locations. Meridian cardholders also have access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ABMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE^® Network and the Allpoint Network in the US. For more information, please visit: meridiancu.ca, follow us on Twitter @MeridianCU or visit us on Facebook.

SOURCE Meridian Credit Union