Hi there! My name is Maera, and I am one of the lucky students who received the Paul Harris Scholarship. I had just recently started a new chapter in my academic journey as a first-year student at the University of Toronto and am beyond grateful for the impact this scholarship will have on my experience. I was born in the Philippines and immigrated to Canada when I was 8 years old. It has always been my parents’ goal to give my little brother and I a proper education, I am actually the first generation in our family to have the privilege of going to a Canadian university. By high school, I was already aware of the academic pressure on my shoulders; I stayed up studying and writing notes until my fingers bruised and came to class the next day focused and eager to learn. Thankfully, this hard work showed on test results and academic awards. But oddly enough, that’s not what I’m most proud of when I look back at high school.
It was my volunteer experience. My proudest moment from high school was my part in the ANCOP and TCDSB Philippines Service trip where I spent months of my senior year trying to fundraise money and make a difference in this world. I sent emails, visited businesses, and recited speeches over and over again in hopes of some support. With every donation I got, there came a thousand rejections. Not a single restaurant donated, and both large and small businesses wanted nothing to do with the cause. I was close to giving up. But it only took me asking The Rotary Club of Scarborough once for them to empathize and donate the largest donation I ever received. With their help, I was able to raise enough money to be a part of the trip. For two weeks in the Philippines, we spent our funds building a new school in a small village, distributing food, donating toys to an orphanage, and donating more necessities like clothing and toiletries to countless other villages.
