Dufferin County Law Association selects recipient of the Gillian Shute Bursary

June 13, 2024 · 0 Comments

Written By Paula Brown

Charlotte Miller, a Grade 12 student at Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS), has been named the 2024 recipient of the Gillian Shute Bursary.

The Dufferin County Law Association (DCLS) presented Miller with her $500 cheque and certificate during a special ceremony last Friday (June 7) at the Dufferin Courthouse, located at 10 Louisa St. in Orangeville.

The Dufferin County Law Association is a voluntary association of lawyers who practice various forms of law within the community, including real estate, family, commercial, corporate and criminal.

Gillan Shute was a long-standing member of the Dufferin County Law Association and practiced law in the Orangeville area for over 20 years. The Gillian Shute Bursary was created in her memory in recognition of her contributions to the county and the work she did to help the people in the community.

The $500 bursary is open to any student taking a law course at the three secondary schools in Dufferin County – Orangeville District Secondary School, Westside Secondary School and Centre Dufferin District High School.

This year, the Dufferin County Law Association received six submissions for the $500 bursary.

“I knew Gillian Shute very well and had a lot of respect for her. To see her history, her desire to help the little guy continue, and to now see it in our youth is so rewarding,” said Kemi L. Palmer, president of the DCLA.

Miller wrote her 750-word essay on the topic of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be positive for Canadians. In her essay, she focused specifically on discrimination and inequality within the justice system and how AI could potentially eliminate barriers and inequalities.

“It was really exciting to get the email that mine was the winning submission. It was a pretty interesting topic to consider and really tied into my course,” said Miller.

Konner Watson was on the review committee for the Gillian Shute Bursary and spoke about the deciding factors for choosing Miller.

“I was pretty impressed. What caught me the most was, it felt like she had interacted with the concept and topic before, and she knew exactly what she was talking about,” said Watson.

Miller will be attending Queen’s University in the fall for Concurrent Education and is considering receiving a major or minor degree in law.

“I think [the] law is definitely in my future. I don’t know if it will be my career, but I do want to go and learn more about law.”