WCHS Grade 12 student a Loran Scholars Foundation finalist

By Garrett Simmons
Lethbridge School Division Communications

A student at Winston Churchill High School has made a little history.
Steven Yang is one of 90 Canadian students who have been selected as 2023 Loran Finalists. The Loran Scholars Foundation started with a pool of nearly 4,800 applicants, vying to become one of 36 Loran Scholars, each of whom will receive a Loran Award valued at over $100,000.
For Yang, the process started when he filed an application in November. A month later, he jumped on a regional Zoom call to learn he has advanced to the next stage. Soon after, Yang received an invitation to participate in Loran’s National Interviews in Toronto on Feb. 24-26.
“All 90 kids that are finalists are going to stay at a conference centre for two days, and there you can kind of socialize with not only the kids from this year but past winners and people that work with the foundation,” said Yang.
For the Grade 12 WCHS student, the opportunity to apply to become a Loran Scholar was about more than a potential financial award.  
“The one thing that stood out to me was their emphasis on building connections and mentorship,” he said. “People see the Loran Foundation and just think about the dollar amount but the one thing that’s overlooked is the opportunities it provides for you. One of the things they do is a 12-week work experience, and that’s completely funded. Over three summers they send you all over the world and you just get experience.”
Assistance with adjusting to university life is another key competent, he added.
“They put you with a one-on-one mentor during university, so you have someone to ask questions to.”
Asked to pinpoint why his application seemed to resonate with the foundation, Yang mentioned the key for him was a genuine approach.
“I just try to be myself and hope that my best is enough, and I guess they liked that,” he said. “Throughout the process they emphasize just trying to be yourself – you already did the work, now all you have to do is tell them about it.”
Yang’s work in the classroom has also been enhanced by his efforts in Churchill’s Interact Club and the newly-formed Math Club, which he helped found. The club is already the largest club at the school, with around 70 members.
But his involvement in the school, and the community at large, does not stop there. In 2021, Yang received a Canada 150 ICE Awards Scholarship from Lethbridge School Division, as he teamed up with Chinook High school student Morteza Faraji for a project, the Lethbridge Cigarette Butt Initiative: ICE SCHOLARSHIP. The project also earned a $3,000 grant through Lethbridge’s Heart of Our City Committee to help install cigarette butt receptacles in downtown Lethbridge.
Yang, the first Loran finalist from WCHS in the foundation’s 34-year history, added the strong support he's received at the school went a long way towards helping him get this far.
“I wouldn’t be here without the support of a lot of mentors and people in my life that have guided me through this process,” he said. “It starts with my advisor Kevin (McBeath), the admin team here – everyone has been so supportive throughout this whole process. It’s one of the reasons why I like Loran so much, because there is an emphasis on mentorship. Through my experiences I found the value of mentorship and people that guide you. It’s really powerful.”
As a future at University of Waterloo awaits, where he plans to study software engineering, Yang had one final piece of advice for WCHS students and those throughout the Division who may be interested in the Loran Foundation.
“I think the one thing they’re looking for is people that want to step out of their comfort zone and take risks. That’s probably the message I would put out to other kids – take risks because you never know what experiences and opportunities that will come of that, and what doors will open for you.”