At our tenth annual Magical Evening fundraiser in 2018, we were pleased to announce the beginning of the Jonah Christensen Memorial Scholarship, an annual scholarship to be given to one student each year to help fund their post-secondary studies. This scholarship was created by the Christensen family in memory and in celebration of Jonah’s kindness, curiosity, mischievousness, and energetic drive to live life to the fullest. We hope this annual award will encourage youth to reflect on these qualities as they look toward their future endeavours.
Applicants must…
- be in their final year of high school.
- be intending to attend a post-secondary institution in the upcoming academic year that is a registered charity. (Check here: https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/dsplyBscSrch?request_locale=en )
2026 Jonah Christensen Memorial Scholarship:
In this year’s scholarship, we’d like you to be creative, just like our Jojo. For the 2026 Jonah Christensen Memorial Scholarship, we’re asking you to show us where you’d like to be in 10 years through a visual representation. This can be anything, a painting, a song, a sculpture, an interpretive dance, whatever represents you and your goals best.
To reward your creativity and authenticity, and support your academic journey, we’re pleased to be able to increase this year’s scholarship to $2000.
You can submit your application as either:
- A photo of your work and a short (300 word max) explanation, or
- A maximum 1-minute video.
Application Format: Please submit your application to celebratejonah@shaw.ca. You can send us your photo submissions directly. For a video submission, please upload the video as an unlisted YouTube video (this can be chosen in the visibility/privacy settings, and means only those with the link to the video can view it), and send us the link. Please use the subject line “Scholarship Application” and include your name, age, phone number, current high school, and intended post-secondary institution.
The application deadline is March 31st, 2026. All applicants will receive a confirmation of submission. The winning applicant will be announced by June 19th, 2026.
The Selection Process:
All applicants will receive an email confirmation that we have received their application.
First Round – Qualification
- Any applications that do not meet our requirements, for example if the applicant is not attending a post-secondary institution registered as a charity or did not answer the prompt, will be rejected.
Second Round – Shortlist
- All eligible submissions will be graded based on the following criteria: creativity, effort, and character.
A shortlist of 5 submissions will be selected from this round.
Final Round – Selection
- A final panel of the Christensen family and/or Celebrate the Child volunteers will evaluate the final 5 submissions selected in the Second Round, and determine the final winner.
For more information about this award, contact Hannah Christensen at hannahroo@shaw.ca
If you’d like to receive a reminder when the scholarship application period opens, email celebratejonah@shaw.ca with the subject line “Please remind me – Scholarship 2027”
Past Winners:
2025: Congratulations to Naomi Ramrus! Naomi has been selected as the 2025 Jonah Christensen Memorial Scholarship winner. Naomi is planning to attend UBC’s Sauder School of Business. She’s passionate about youth education, financial literacy and community leadership. Naomi teaches swimming, leads an investment club, and volunteers with LOVEBC, a nonprofit dedicated to youth empowerment. She’s excited to use business to help tackle real-world problems and make a positive impact in her community. Way to go Naomi!
2024: We are pleased to announce that Luka Spinoti has been selected as the 2024 Jonah Christensen Memorial Scholarship winner! Luka is planning on attending the University of Toronto to study Computer Science. Luka is hoping to incorporate the skills that he will learn through Computer Science to the field of artificial intelligence development in order to solve global problems associated with the loss of biodiversity. Congratulations Luka!
2023: Congratulations to our 2023 Jonah Christensen Memorial Scholarship winner Yoonchae Lee!! Yoonchae is going into a Bachelor of Arts degree at UBC this fall. They volunteer at school and art galleries and are passionate about writing and biology. Yoonchae has plans for an MLIS in information accessibility and librarianship for public service.
2022: Congratulations to Cheryl Chan. Cheryl is a senior French IB student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary in Vancouver, BC. She plans to attend UBC with a major in computer science this coming September, in hopes of applying technology towards sustainable development. Cheryl is an avid roboticist and marine biologist, who volunteers at schools and parks, respectively, to share her enthusiasm for women in STEM fields.
2021: Congratulations to Joseph Lim, our third annual scholarship winner. Joseph is the young founder of Boxes of Hope Youth Foundation which is a charity organization that aids disable and hospitalized individuals. He plans to attend Simon Fraser University to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree with the goal of becoming a health entrepreneur. He’s passionate about networking, research and serving the community as humanitarian.
2020: We are so pleased to congratulate Evelina Borvanova as our second Jonah Christensen Memorial Scholarship winner! Evelina will be heading to Kingston, Ontario in the fall to work towards her Bachelor of Science Honours degree. She is moving along to her ultimate goal of attending medical school and becoming a paediatric doctor, in order to help children and youth in her community. We wish her the best of luck and hope the scholarship helps her to advance her goals and passions.
2019: Congratulations to Quinton Braziller. Quinton is a Grade 12 student at Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School who enjoys scuba diving, hiking, biking, and track and cross country running. We’re looking forward to him putting our first annual scholarship to good use as he heads to UVIC’s engineering program in the fall. As he moves forward in his career, Quinton is looking to bring about change with his passions for conservation and sustainability, and his interest in exploration vehicles such as rockets, rovers, and deep sea research submarines. Congratulations Quinton!
Celebrate the Child 