Burhanuddin Yamani has been selected as one of 90 of nearly 4,800 applicants selected as Loran Finalists for the class of 2023.
The Loran award is a four-year leadership enrichment program that consists of summer work experiences, mentorship, scholar gatherings, an annual living stipend, and a tuition waiver at one of 25 university partners.
To be selected as a finalist students must demonstrate their drive to step up in the face of challenges and positively impact their communities across the country.
Burhanuddin Yamani from Vilna (École Mallaig Community School) has been honored with this nomination. Yamani says he was not expecting to be selected.
“When I got the phone call in December I was pleasantly surprised. Having this experience by itself has been amazing.” Yamani says this nomination is not only a reflection of all the work he has put in but the abilities and talents of those surrounding him. “To me, it is a result of years of hard work both from me and everyone who has guided me and encouraged me.”
The students will be traveling to Loran’s National Interviews in Toronto on February 24-26, 2023 where 36 Loran Awards will be presented. Anyone not selected will still be eligible to receive a $5,000 Loran Finalist Award.
Burhanuddin Yamani has been nominated for his work as the founder of a Science Club for Grade 3 to 4 students and holding executive positions in various school and community groups over the years. He has also served on the Minister’s Youth Council and volunteers as a madrasa teacher and kitchen staff at his mosque. Burhanuddin has also interned at a national engineering firm and works as a basketball official and pharmacy assistant.
“Every two weeks I get together with students from grades 3 and 4 from our school and we have a science club where we have a topic of the day and I do a topic of the day followed by an experiment.”
An example Yamani recalls is his topic of endothermic vs endothermic reactions where he showed off a carbon snake and then got the kids to make their own ice cream.Â
Yamani says he will learn if he has been selected as a Scholar in March.