Over six thousand students apply each year for the prestigious Loran Scholarship, yet only 36 are selected. Queen’s is welcoming four of those 2025 winners.
The Loran Scholarship, one of Canada’s prestigious scholarship awards, offers high school students to attend a post-secondary institution at a reduced cost by offering up to $100,000 to fund their University education and activities.
Candidates advance from written applications to online interviews, with finalists meeting in Toronto for in-person evaluations. Beyond the 36 scholars chosen each year, Loran also awards more than $400,000 annually to standout applicants at national and semi-final stages.
The Journal sat down with the four scholars attending Queen’s this fall to learn about their stories and ambitions.
Shay Parreira, Comm ’29
Coming from Burlington, Shay Parreira’s decision to attend Queen’s for commerce came down to the need to find community and his drive to learn and the desire to make change; qualities he says have been evident since he arrived on campus.
“Everyone I met told me the people and friends I make at Queen’s would be life-changing, and even after just a few days, I can already feel that,” Parreira said in an interview with The Journal.
In high school, Parreira was a member of the Ontario U23 Wheelchair Basketball Team and the Ontario Wheelchair Racing Team. Throughout his four years, Parreira was trying to balance elite-level athletics while trying to take on meaningful leadership and advocacy.
Outside of sports, Parreira co-founded a bowling league for students with cognitive disabilities, an initiative inspired by his brother. He also served on his high school’s accessibility committee, helping lead efforts to make his school more inclusive. As an ambassador for the Ontario Cerebral Palsy Sports Association’s Be Boundless campaign, Parreira aims to support young athletes and their families who are new to parasport.
Parreira hopes to get involved in accessibility initiatives and expand parasport awareness at Queen’s, and join the wheelchair basketball team at Queen’s.
Charlotte Bolduc, HealthSci ’29
Charlotte Bolduc chose Queen’s for its health sciences program and the University’s community values, which align with her commitment to service and reconciliation. She said the sense of community at Queen’s, inclusive of all students, was one of her biggest deciding factors.
“I really love the sense of community Queen’s has, not just for Indigenous students, but for everyone,” Bolduc said in an interview with The Journal.
As a member of Fort William First Nation in Thunder Bay, Bolduc has been involved in reconciliation work since 2017, through the program Hockey Cares, an initiative that connects Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth through hockey and cultural exchanges. As an education and cultural engagement ambassador for Hockey Cares, she helped organize trips between Oakville and fly-in communities like Attawapiskat, allowing students new experiences and to compete in both Oakville and on reserves.
Bolduc also served as head of the student leadership team, where she managed a breakfast program that served more than 600 students each day. When it comes to involvement at Queen’s, Bolduc explained that while she’s interested in many clubs, she’s especially interested in the Queen’s Native Student Association.
Rocky Sloan, HealthSci ’29
In Nanaimo, B.C, Rocky Sloan served as student council president, helped lead his school’s French club, and founded a non-profit organization called ‘Students for Seniors’, where students helped local elderly, residents live independently through volunteer support. Sloan said his work with seniors helped guide him toward Health Sciences and a future in family medicine
“Before Students for Seniors, I didn’t know I needed a long-term connection with people in my career. That experience helped me realize that’s what I really want.”
Sloan chose Queen’s for its Health Sciences program and its reputation for a supportive student culture, noting that the program’s flipped classroom structure aligns well with how he learns. At Queen’s, Sloan hopes to explore research opportunities, join clubs, and get involved in community-based volunteer work, while also looking forward to growing and learning.
“I want to evolve, change, and become someone that I’ll be happy with.”
JoyGold Goodluck, ArtSci ’29
JoyGold Goodluck plans to bring her passion for advocacy and community-building from Toronto to Queen’s, where she hopes to grow her network, join the student government, volunteer locally, and work toward her goal of becoming a doctor.
“I’m super proud to share my knowledge and my skills with the City of Kingston,” Goodluck said in her interview with The Journal. “I really cannot wait to get myself more involved with things that are going on here.”
In high school, Goodluck was a student trustee for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, representing over 90,000 students. Goodluck also co-founded an organization called Project GIA that helped empower women at her school. As well, she co-chaired the Catholic Student Leadership Impact Team–a group of Toronto students who share their voices with the Toronto Catholic District School Board to help implement changes and engage student voices.
For Goodluck, winning the Loran Award means more than just financial support.
“It allows me to focus on what I want to be, who I want to be, and how I want to impact the world,” she said. “Everything I did had to have an impact on somebody, whether it was a smile or inspiration; it was truly important to me.”
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Award, Loran scholar, scholarship
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