Five years of hard work and dedication has paid off in the form of one of McGill University’s top scholarships for Barrie native Michael Goralski.
Goralski, 19, who finished off his high-school career at Upper Canada College in Toronto, will be packing his bags and heading off to Montreal in a few weeks where he will study business at one of the country’s top business schools.
He was selected as the recipient of the Greville Smith Scholarship, which is awarded to outstanding students who have “shown promise of future success and responsible citizenship” and takes into account not only academic standing but also qualities of leadership and participation in community affairs, student government or athletics.
The scholarship is tenable up to a maximum of four years and is valued up to $10,000 annually.
Goralski first learned he had been nominated for the award while in class. He said receiving the email was a “rush," adding he had submitted a general application for one of the university’s Major Entrance Scholarship and then almost forgot about it until he received the email notifying him that he had been nominated for the Greville Smith Scholarship.
“It is the biggest scholarship they have to offer… (so) it was good news, that’s for sure,” he told BarrieToday.
After researching the country’s top business schools, Goralski said he ultimately short-listed Western University in London, Queen’s University in Kingston and McGill in Montreal, all of which he noted had great reputations.
“I applied to all three… but liked McGill because it was a little farther away from home and in a bigger, more interesting city that had a more European influence and I really liked that,” he said.
Goralski said he felt living in Montreal would offer a more unique experience for him compared to another Ontario city similar to Barrie.
While the local teen had initially contemplated a career in medicine, as he got a bit older he realized his skills were more suited to one in business.
“In my later years in high school, I started to take an interest in business and started considering that as a career path because that combines intellectual capability with interpersonal skills, the ability to influence people, being a leader and being creative,” he said.
“I think the skills you need to succeed in business are a lot more diverse and broad (and) I thought I had that diverse skill set and that my strengths were best suited for business.”
