Adam Guthrie is an extremely busy young man.
Besides focusing on his studies, the Grade 12 student at Notre Dame High School volunteers as a triathlon coach, spearheaded a garbage clean-up program at his school, is the student council president, a cross-country runner, a swimming instructor and lifeguard and plays two musical instruments.
“I think it just comes down to what I love doing the most. I love doing a whole bunch of things and I try to do everything the best that I can,” Guthrie said.
Guthrie recently made the trip to Toronto in order to participate in the national selections for the prestigious Loran Award scholarship. And after a successful round of interviews in Toronto last weekend, he was chosen as one of this year’s Loran Award winners.
The award, which is valued at $100,000 over four years, is presented to 32 students from all across Canada who show character, commitment to service in the community and leadership potential.
In order to become a Loran Scholar, applicants must go through a rigorous selection process which involves up to three days of interviews at the regional and national level.
After being nominated by his school and already going through regional interviews in Calgary, Guthrie was selected as one of the top 84 of the 4,400 candidates for the award by the Loran Scholarship Foundation.
“It’s very exciting to just be a part of it at this point. Loran has helped me to consider a whole bunch of different opportunities in my life,” said Guthrie of the award, which includes an annual $10,000 stipend along with a matching tuition waiver (which is unique in Canada). It also includes $10,000 in funding for summer internships and a week-long orientation expedition in Algonquin National Park in Ontario.
Guthrie said that while he’s considering going into engineering or some sort of science program, he’s not quite sure what school he would be going to.
“Everything’s still very much up in the air and very exciting for me,” he said, adding that he’s open to going to school anywhere in the country.
He has always been one to pursue anything he’s doing at the highest level.
Over the years he’s been involved in a competitive swim club, competed at two Alberta Summer Games with the True North Triathlon Club in Red Deer and been on the Alberta Junior Development team for triathlon as one of the top six male triathletes in the province.
He’s helped to design a science game for kids with special needs as part of the Notre Dame Design Challenge.
Guthrie’s team created an electrical board game which could help kids better understand how electricity works. The game was showcased at a provincial teacher’s conference.
Guthrie picked up that knowledge as part of a couple of option programs he took in school. He also competed at the Alberta Skills Competitions last year in Electrical Installations.
On top of all of that, Guthrie keeps up with his studies, maintaining a GPA of above 90%.
“Education always comes first. Above everything else in my life, school is number one. Just putting school first has allowed me to develop a work ethic that has lent itself to everything else in my life,” he said, adding that everything has always just revolved around school for him.
When asked why he likes to be so involved in everything around him, Guthrie said it’s just part of who he is.
“I was raised to find something that I like, be the best that I can be at that thing and then turn around and help others reach the same level. In all my activities that I do across the board, I try to be a leader and to help others because if it wasn’t for somebody else’s help when I was at the bottom, I could never have gotten to where I am now.”
zcormier@reddeerexpress.com
