Women Inspiring Women – Women’s Institute (WIW-WI) in Paris awarded two Brantford students with $500 scholarships to help support their post-secondary education on Tuesday, August 19 and Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
This year’s 2025 scholarships went to Colby Young and Ellery Lechowicz.
Young most recently graduated from Brantford Collegiate Institute with honours, and will be starting his associate diploma in environmental technician program at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown campus this fall.
Outside of school, Young helps raise his family’s flock of champion purebred sheep, shares his knowledge about food sources and farming with his peers, plays with the Brantford Bisons football team and assists young children with hockey. He’s also volunteered in his community by helping an older adult with lawn care, and has supported various events like the 2023 Ontario 55+ Summer Games as well as the annual Bite of Brant program.
Young said that it was actually his mother who told him about the WIW-WI scholarship, and that he was glad he took the opportunity to apply.
“There’s a lot of scholarships offered throughout the community and I’m very grateful for organizations like the Women’s Institute that can help support youth like myself to go forward with post secondary education,” said Young.
Lechowicz graduated with honours from St. John’s College in 2024, has already completed her pre-health science program at Fanshawe College and will pursue her bachelor of science in the nursing (honours) program at Conestoga College’s Doon campus this fall.
Lechowicz’s involvement within the community has included working as a children’s camp counsellor, organizing activities and ensuring the safety of the youngsters. As a senior competitive dancer herself, Lechowicz has also instructed children on learning the basics of dance.
While completing her co-op placement in the Brantford General Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Unit, she learned and retained a variety of tasks that allowed her to carry out her responsibilities independently.
Dianne Edwards of the WIW-WI said that choosing this year’s recipients was particularly difficult.
“We had some really good candidates, and it was hard to pick,” she said. “They always have a lot of good experience, not just work experience, but volunteer experience as well which is great, but it doesn’t make the task any easier.”
The Paris WIW-WI is a diverse group of women offering creative learning opportunities for its members while supporting local community betterment. The international movement, begun by Adelaide Hoodless in Ontario, Canada in 1897, has long had its emphasis on group education, community action, as well as crafts and recipes.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
