County of Dufferin awards 2024 Bill Hill Scholarship to recipients

Written By Paula Brown

The County of Dufferin has awarded seven local students with a scholarship to help them pursue post-secondary education.

The County announced the recipients of the 2024 Bill Hill Scholarship and presented them with their $2,500 cheques during a special reception held at the Edelbrock Centre in Orangeville on July 3. 

The seven students who received the scholarship were: Yaman Awa, Allana Carridice, Calista Daly, Avery Donnelly, Wendy Mogensen, Emily Payne and Gabrielle Spencer. 

“We picked seven very worthy candidates all across the spectrum of people and we're really happy with the recipients; we look forward to seeing what they have to offer after their education is done,” said Dufferin County Warden Darren White. “It's nice to see that so many students in Dufferin County are looking to pursue further education after they leave school here.” 

The scholarship program was introduced by the County of Dufferin in 2014 and recognizes students who pursue post-secondary education and training in the areas of science and technology, business and social sciences, agriculture and environment studies, arts, and skilled trades. 

In 2020, County Council approved adding two more scholarships, within the fields of study, dedicated to recognizing students who identify as Black, Indigenous, First Nations, Metis, Inuit, or Person of Colour. 

The seven students selected to receive the Bill Hill Scholarship are awarded a one-time $2,500 grant.

Originally known as the Dufferin County Scholarship, the grant was renamed in 2018 in honour of former council member and Warden Bill Hill, who is regarded as the driving force behind the development of the annual scholarship program. 

“Bill was a mentor to me and a mentor to many across the county in municipal politics. It was him who brought the motion forward originally to start a scholarship program for the County of Dufferin, and when he passed a few years back, we thought it would be fitting to honour Bill by naming the program after him,” said White.

This year, the County brought forward improvements to the selection process including consolidating of educational streams, increasing the essay length, expanding nomination sources, and a transparent evaluation of applications. 

The recipients of the Bill Hill Scholarship were chosen by a selection committee comprised of Dufferin County Warden Darren White; chair of general government services, John Creelman; director of people and equity, Rohan Thompson; a DEICAC member and the head of guidance at Westside Secondary School. 

The County of Dufferin received 32 applications this year for the Bill Hill Scholarship.  

“We're excited that it has gotten so much traction. We encourage more people to apply every year and we look forward to the program growing,” said White. 

For more information about the Bill Hill Scholarship or to learn about the application and selection process, visit www.dufferincounty.ca.