Student Success
Scholarship Success vs Mainstream
1) 85% of Leadership Grads who applied won scholarships in 2022-23. In contrast, only about 22% of mainstream students won scholarships in that time.
2) 2020-2021 school year: 25% of all in-school scholarships* were won by Leadership students (25/97 Awards) even though they Leadership students represent only 12% of their graduating class.
3) 2021-22 school year: 38% of all in-school scholarships* were won by Leadership students (37/97 awards)
4) 100% of Leadership grads won scholarships in 2018-19,
* Does not include scholarship awards from post-secondary institutions or external agencies*
Scholarship & Awards Success examples
Many of our Leadership Gr 12 students win many prestigious awards in their graduating year. Here are just a few examples:
1)University of Toronto National Scholarship ($100,000), 2021 - M. Huang
2) Beedie Luminaries Award ($40,000) 2022, Jin Peng Zhou
3) University of Toronto Scholar Award ($7500), 2022 - Jayden Zhang
4) Facta Non Verba Gold award and scholarship, 2022 - J. Zhang
5) Facta Non Verba Silver award and scholarship, 2022 - G. Araujo
6) Facta Non Verba Bronze awardand scholarship, 2023 - M. Chen
7) Leadership student won Windermere's
Top All-Around Award and Scholarship (2016, 2019, 2022)6) Danielle Horowitz Social Justice Award ($12,000), 2017 - R. Horner
Post Secondary Attendance
We have recent grads studying in programs from coast to coast, from UBC to Dalhousie University, and studying all over the world. We have grads at Western University, U of T, Queens, Edmonton, U. of Alberta, various US schools, and of course in local schools like SFU, UBC, BCIT, Kwantlen, Capilano, UNBC, and U. of Victoria.
Our grads pursue a huge variety of passions, with recent grads studying in programs ranging from medicine to marketing, from theatre arts to culinary arts, from engineering to dietetics, from climate science to epidemiology, from education to finance, from kinesiology to anthropology.
We strongly believe that students should follow their passions and find ways to be leaders in their communities after high school in ways that make the most sense to them.
So, how can we help you follow your dreams?
Alumni & Community Impact Statements
"Leadership has had an enormous impact on all aspects of my life throughout my high school career. Despite joining the program a year after in grade nine and not getting the full five-year experience, the students and teachers have made it very welcoming for the transition of the mainstream to leadership. It was through this program where I had my first outdoor experience: overnight camping. Coming from an mainstream student perspective, opportunities likes these would’ve never came across my radar. It wasn’t just outdoor experience that made the program great, the diversity of learning topics within the program is well designed guaranteeing students the best chance of becoming leaders in their community that will inspire change. I accomplished many things within the program from deliberate guidance and supervision from the supervisors such as organizaing my own Leadership information night sessions. As a result of being in this program, I am a first generation of my family to attend a post secondary institution in Canada of my family with tuition expenses mainly all paid for. I attribute most to the success to the Leadership program. Without Leadership teachers such as Ms.Rempel, Mr.Al, Ms.DIxion, I wouldn’t be as accomplished as I am today. As a graduate from Class 2022, I am a recipient to three separate scholarships, totalling around $45,000 for my post secondary ventures. In conclusion, I am beyond grateful of how drastically the program has impacted life. I will always hold dear to my heart the memories I made over the years and will continue to cherish them throughout my life"
-Jin Peng Zhou (2022 LDP Grad), Student
"The leadership program is a community that helps each other to grow better as people. Not only has the program taught me about opening my mind to new ideas and perspectives but provided so many unique opportunities to develop as a leader. After graduating, the skills I've learnt gave me the confidence to take initiative in projects I believe in. Now I work with mental health professionals, find ways to support people in this digital age."
-Caitlin Ly (2019 LDP Grad)
"I entered the Leadership Program as a grade 8 student intrigued by the promise of a small cohort, camping trips, and social and environmental activism. What I didn’t know at the time was that my small cohort would become my family, that those camping trips would spark a deep appreciation for nature and physical health, and that the many opportunities for activism would give me tangible skills that no one expects from a high schooler (public speaking, grant writing, organizing conferences, working with politicians… the list goes on!). Lastly, Leadership taught me that the best education transcends the boundaries of the traditional classroom. As such, I have embarked on a career in museums - another exciting informal learning environment that can help foster the change we need in the world!"
Sophie Yamauchi (2014 LDP Grad), Board Administrator - Chinese Canadian Museum Society of BC, MA, Arts Leadership - Queens University, BA, Anthropology - University of British Columbia
"The leadership program has given me the opportunity to find my passion and explore topics and ideas in very holistic ways. What sets this program apart is its dedication to providing students the opportunities to develop skills in teamwork, innovation, relationships, and community; in very innovative ways. What the leadership program does is exactly what universities are working towards; community-based experiential learning; and I can honestly say the Windermere Leadership Program is leagues ahead of the universities in terms of how this type of learning is done and carried out. This program has made education truly meaningful to me, and I wouldn’t be the type of teacher, facilitator, community member, and human being without it.”
-Brendan Chan (2011 LDP grad), Teacher, Vancouver School Board
“The Windermere Leadership program taught me that education can happen outside the classroom setting, especially the valuable lessons of life skills such as self-awareness and preservation. The program also provides alumnus to take on the mentor roles which provides opportunities to connect with leadership students, give back to the community and engage with outdoor youth initiatives.”
- Vive Wong (2003 LDP grad)
"The Leadership Program has had a significant impact on my life. Even now, 5 years removed from the program, I look back fondly on all the opportunities the program provided – relationship building with stakeholders in the community, experiential learning, camping trips, meaningful discussions about the state of the world, an avenue to make impacts at school and in the community, and many more.”
- Henry Lau (2012 LDP grad), Coordinator, Healthy Eating and Food Security, BC Center for Disease Control
“Windermere’s Leadership Program offers local youth the opportunity to challenge themselves, learn in different ways and think beyond their school and into their local and broader community. As the program has existed for more than a decade we’ve watched youth who have gone through the program and completed post-secondary studies are now making their mark in the world as young leaders. We’re thrilled that some of them are among our staff at the neighbourhood house, making a difference and improving the lives of those living in Renfrew-Collingwood.”
-Jennifer Gray-Grant, Executive Director at Renfrew Collingwood Neighbourhood house
“The Windermere Leadership program creates opportunities for youth to explore and build confidence in themselves by tackling hard problems, following their intuition and growing something more than themselves. Every youth needs a safe place to explore, take risks, and learn from their successes and failures - that's what the Leadership Program is all about.”
-Marc Schutzbank, Executive Director at Fresh Roots Urban Farm