Two Gerald Schwartz School of Business students at StFX, Mairi McKinnon of Halifax, NS and Taylor Kennah of Bathurst, NB, are recipients of the prestigious 2019-2020 Frank H. Sobey Award for Excellence in Business Studies. The award, valued at $30,000 each, is given annually to eight business students studying at Atlantic Canadian universities.
The award recipients are selected based on their entrepreneurship, supporting their communities, and their employment experience, by a board of directors comprising of Atlantic Canadian business and academic leaders.
“Both Mairi and Taylor are most deserving of this award,” says StFX Schwartz School of Business Dean Dr. Todd Boyle.
“Mairi is an outstanding student not only in terms of her academic performance but also in her commitment to both university and community engagement. Mairi has made a significant positive impact in the lives of so many people,” he says.
Examples of her entrepreneurial skills, leadership, and community engagement are numerous and include her role as president of a successful junior achievement company, invitation to speak at the Canadian Business Hall of Fame gala in 2016, work at the IWK Hospital, student leader for the StFX Service Learning Department, Venture Canada Intern, and her volunteer work in a health clinic in Tanzania.
“Taylor is a remarkable entrepreneur who has combined her leadership skills, commitment to her community, love for the arts, and creative talent. She is an outstanding role model for both children and her university peers,” says Dr. Boyle.
Among her many leadership roles, she currently serves as president of the Schwartz Women in Business Society. Her leadership also extends into her local community. About three years ago, she founded Bathurst on Broadway, a highly successful not-for-profit musical theater camp in Bathurst, NB that provides dance, drama, and theater instruction to children aged five to 13 years.
Both students were recognized at a formal event at The Crombie House in Abercrombie, NS.
