Jothi (Suntharampillai) Bavan (BASc ‘03, chemical engineering) launched the $2,000 Kanagampikai Suntharampillai Entrance Bursary earlier this year to be awarded to a woman in first-year chemical engineering.
Named in memory of her mother, the bursary is intended to assist a woman starting Waterloo's chemical engineering program in much the same way Bavan was supported over 20 years ago after leaving war-ravaged Sri Lanka.
“I personally benefited due to the generosity of others in my first year of engineering and I simply want to pass on the gesture,” says Bavan, senior manager at Ontario Power Generation, Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. “Financial burden should never be a hindrance to a woman in achieving her dreams.”
To be eligible for the bursary, women must be entering Waterloo’s chemical engineering program with a minimum of 80 per cent and have demonstrated financial need as determined by the University. This year’s application deadline is April 15. [Full story]