Scholarship & Award Winners 2020
Scholarship Winners
A.H.B. “Spoon” Wotherspoon Memorial Scholarship
IBABC is excited to announce that its 2020 A.H.B. “Spoon” Wotherspoon Memorial Scholarship winner is Skyla Wagner of North Vancouver.
Every year IBABC assesses numerous applications before selecting winners and Skyla’s application stood out for many reasons.
A first year student at Capilano University, Skyla is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science program and is focusing on biology. She’s passionate about nutrition and even runs an unpublished recipe blog in her spare time. After completing her degree, Skyla will work towards becoming a registered dietician. She values health and education and would like to contribute to the Canada Food Guide in the future and would like to create a website that teaches healthy eating and nutritional science.
As a student Skyla has excelled in her academics, not only in university, but also as a high school student at Carson Graham Secondary in North Vancouver. During her time as a secondary student, Skyla received multiple community service awards and made the honour roll every year. As a student she helped found the Empower Club at her school which was created to help uplift young people. As the financial lead for the club she ensured there were enough resources to support activities. The club welcomed international students, created anti-bullying resources and planned student events.
Outside of school, Skyla has been an outdoor school counsellor for 3 years at the Cheakamus Centre in Squamish. Being in a position of leadership has taught her invaluable skills while also helping increase her self-confidence. She’s excited to take her problem-solving, mentorship, and leadership skills into her future career.
Skyla is the daughter of Deborah Karhu, a commercial broker at AC&D Insurance Services Ltd.
Congrats Skyla!
Autoplan Brokers Legacy Scholarship
The 2020 Autoplan Brokers Legacy Scholarship winner is Autumn Janzen from Penticton.
Graduating this year from Princess Margaret Secondary School, Autumn looks forward to attending the University of Victoria (UVIC) to study sciences and focus on health and medicine. She’s not exactly sure where her studies will lead her but wants to help people every day and is interested in physiotherapy.
As a high school student, Autumn has made the most of her secondary years by being an active volunteer and excelling in academics. Some volunteer activities that Autumn is proud of include volunteering for the MS Bus Pull which raised over $1,000 for Muscular Dystrophy research. Another large scale event she volunteered for is Penticton’s “10,000 Tonight” fundraiser, which is one the community’s largest volunteer events; participants work together to get donations of 10,000 non-perishable items. Volunteering for approximately 150 hours and starting 3 months in advance by canvassing routes across the city in collaboration with another high school, they ended up raising almost double their goal.
Autumn’s volunteer work and community engagement have been recognized through Rotary Awards, which are presented to students to who are involved and successful within the community, their academics, and extracurricular activities.
In her spare time she loves to dance and has been a dancer at Okanagan Dance Studios for 15 years, training 4 days a week.
Autumn Janzen is the daughter of Shauna Janzen, insurance broker at Johnston Meier Insurance Agencies Group in Penticton.
John F. Hamilton Scholarship
The 2020 John F. Hamilton Scholarship winner is Clare Provenzano.
Graduating this year from Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary School in Port Coquitlam, Clare leaves her secondary school experience with an impressive resume and long list of awards. Clare has been an enthusiastic volunteer throughout her life and most recently has volunteered with the Coquitlam Youth Council, Eagle Ridge Hospital, the City of Coquitlam and been on the Starliament, her school’s student council.
Volunteering at Eagle Ridge Hospital has been memorable for Clare as the experience encouraged to step out of her comfort zone and taught her how to create meaningful dialogue with complete strangers. Overall, it taught her how small actions make a big difference in the lives of patients. She learned that despite age differences and life differences, the ability connect with others is always there.
At school and in the community her active engagement strengthened her leadership skills and gave her the confidence to be an empathetic leader who understands the needs of others. She’s prepared to take these skills into her future career and use them to become an impactful leader.
Clare has been accepted to Simon Fraser University (SFU) and plans to pursue a degree in computer science and then work on an MBA. She’s interested in the math and the science behind coding. She would like to work at a software company and create mentorship programs for girls once in the field, especially for those from lower income communities. As a young person in tech, she looks forward to encouraging girls to pursue careers and education in the science or technology fields.
Clare Provenzano is the daughter of Timothy Provenzano of iQ Insurance Services in Burnaby.
John M. Toomer Scholarship
Chandani Parmar is the 2020 recipient of the John M. Toomer Scholarship.
After graduating from Alpha Secondary School in Burnaby this year, Chandani plans to obtain a bachelor’s degree in health sciences or environmental sciences. Chandani hasn’t decided on her career path but if she pursues health sciences she would like to provide international or domestic humanitarian aid. If her career path is environmental sciences, she would like to provide education on environmental sustainability to communities and countries that are at risk.
Her volunteer work and extracurricular activities include an unpaid internship at Lund University in Sweden, high school peer tutoring, volunteering for the City of Burnaby parks and recreation department, volunteering as an assistant at the Mount Seymour ski school, being an assistant field hockey coach for the Burnaby bears, being an assistant soccer coach at the Cliffe Avenue Soccer Club and volunteering at the Guru Nanak Free Kitchen.
Chandani’s passion for community service is inspired by the Punjabi word “seva” which means selfless service. She believes that selfless service in the community strengthens all individuals in the community. Her volunteer experiences, specifically being a ski guide and helping a little girl in a difficult situation, helped her realize that small actions can make big impacts on others’ lives and that it’s important to get out and get involved.
In her spare time, Chandani enjoys skiing, photography, gardening and hydroponics. She is the daughter of Harcharan Parmar, a manager at BCAA in Burnaby.
Vancouver Insurance Association Scholarship
The recipient of this year’s Vancouver Insurance Association Scholarship is Courtenay Bronson.
Courtney is graduating from South Kamloops Secondary School this year and has achieved a great deal in the past five years. In addition to making the Principals List every year, she received the BC Achievement Scholarship. Her community activities and volunteer work include the Thompson Valley Community Orchestra, the Kamloops Honour District Band, volunteering for over a 100 hours as a teacher’s assistant at Aberdeen Elementary School and volunteering at the Pinnacle Animal Hospital for two weeks as a vet assistant.
Passionate about music, Courtenay has been playing musical instruments for many years. Music has played a large role in her life, especially with helping her develop self-confidence. Her high school’s music program gave her the opportunity to challenge herself and step outside her comfort zone. With the encouragement of some amazing teachers, Courtenay auditioned for the District Honour Band and was accepted.
Courtenay loves animals and is interested in pursuing a career as a veterinarian technician. At the time of applying for this scholarship she had been accepted into Algonquin College in Ottawa which has a vet tech program. She is also equally interested in becoming an esthetician and will be happy in either field. In her spare time, Courtenay enjoys hunting, fishing and horseback riding.
Courtenay is the daughter of Wendy Bronson, a branch manager at HUB International in Kamloops.
Award Winners
CAIB 1: Santbir Minhas Award
The award for the highest mark on the CAIB 1 exam in British Columbia is sponsored by the family of Santbir Minhas, who was a brokerage owner in Richmond and an IBABC director. This year’s $1,000 award recipient is Steven Olsen, who’s with the Sussex Insurance Agency in Chilliwack.
CAIB 2: Reliance Insurance Award
The 2020 $500 Reliance Insurance Award recipient is Hansika Roy from Western Coast Insurance in Victoria.
CAIB 3: Renate M. Mueller Consultants Recognition Award
The Renate M. Mueller Consultants Recognition Award goes to the broker who attained the highest CAIB 3 mark in B.C. This year the $500 CAIB 3 award recipient is Allyson Brisebois from CapriCMW in Kelowna
CAIB 4: Park Georgia Insurance Agencies Recognition Award
For the highest CAIB 4 mark, the $750 Park Georgia Insurance Agencies Recognition Award recipient is Jacques Wong from Gold Key Insurance in Vancouver.
Ken Underhill Award
The final CAIB award given out each year is the Ken Underhill Award and it goes to the student who attains the highest cumulative mark on all four CAIB exams, and completed their CAIB designation requirements within the calendar year. The 2020 recipient of this award for $1,000 is Steven Olsen from the Sussex Insurance Agency in Chilliwack.