Anglophone West School District is celebrating two exceptional graduates after Fredericton High School’s Sadie Sullivan and Stanley Consolidated School’s Emmeline Pinnock were selected as members of the inaugural Wolf Scholars cohort at the University of Toronto.
Chosen from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants from across Canada, Sadie and Emmeline are among just 16 students nationwide selected for the prestigious four-year leadership and academic program, delivered through a partnership between the Wolf Cooper Foundation and the University of Toronto.
The Wolf Scholars program is designed to support future Canadian leaders through a fully funded undergraduate experience that combines academic study, mentorship, international travel, internships, and leadership development.
For Emmeline Pinnock, being named a Wolf Scholar is both humbling and inspiring.
“Being named as a Wolf Scholar is a true honour and privilege,” said Pinnock. “Beyond the financial aspect, the program opens up a number of important opportunities and connections. The entire Wolf Scholars team, including my fellow scholars, are some of the most inspiring, kind-hearted, and driven people I have ever met, and I am humbled to be among them.”
Raised in Stanley, New Brunswick, Pinnock plans to study social sciences with a particular interest in international relations. Throughout high school, she took on numerous leadership roles locally and regionally, including involvement with her school’s student council and the district’s Council of Student Leaders.
She says the opportunity also carries an important message for students growing up in smaller communities.
“I truly hope that my recipiency of this scholarship will help encourage other students from small towns and rural communities. It’s important for them to know that their location doesn’t limit their ability to have big ideas, chase big goals, and venture bravely into the wider world.”
Pinnock also credited the educators and mentors who supported her along the way.
“The District, my school administration and all my teachers have played a vital part in my endeavours and academic journey,” she said. “I could not have achieved what I have without their help and encouragement.” Emmeline credited guidance counsellor Brad Kersing and teacher Brandon LeBlanc as two of her biggest champions throughout the process, alongside the support of her family.
Sadie Sullivan, a Fredericton High School graduate, says the scholarship represents a chance to broaden her perspective and pursue ambitious goals alongside other driven young Canadians.
“Being named a Wolf Scholar, to me, means that my worldview is about to get a whole lot bigger,” said Sullivan. “I now have opportunities that I could never have even fathomed before.”
Sullivan plans to study political science and history, with interests in Canadian history, linguistics, and international affairs. During high school, she worked as a lighting technician and stage manager in community theatre and spent several summers teaching art, fashion, and technology skills as a camp counsellor at the University of New Brunswick.
She says the program’s greatest value may be the relationships and shared sense of purpose among the cohort.
“I hope that this program will arm my fellow Scholars and I with the tools to make real, positive change in the world,” Sullivan said. “More than any internship, travel opportunity, course or seminar, I am most excited to shape a network of kind, intelligent people that will follow me into adulthood.”
Reflecting on the support she received throughout her education, Sullivan said her community helped shape the way she sees the world.
“So many people in my community have fundamentally shifted how I look at the world, allowing me to be more understanding, curious, and optimistic,” she said. “I would not be here were it not for my teachers, nurturing my passion for history and politics, my classmates for showing me how to balance hard work and childish fun, my administrators and school staff for creating a welcoming environment throughout all my years of schooling, and my family for teaching me to love the world and everyone in it.”
The Wolf Scholars inaugural cohort will begin studies at the University of Toronto this fall.
More information about the program is available at the Wolf Scholars website.