Stacey’s parents, Cheryl and Ned Levitt of Toronto, selected this year’s recipients from over 400 applicants. The 2003 Stacey Levitt Women and Sport Scholarships is divided equally among five individual recipients:
Jenna Gallant, Prince Edward Island
Mila Miguel, British Columbia
Tricia Orzeck, Ontario
Janet Pritchard, Ontario
Kyleigh Woods, New Brunswick
“We are very proud of these women and the excellence of their applications,” said Cheryl Levitt, as she announced the names of the recipients. “We wish them all great success in their chosen pursuits in education, careers, sports, and community life. Canada is very fortunate to have such marvellous role models for our future generations. They are an inspiration to us all. As Stacey would have wished for them – ‘continue to follow your dreams’.”
Phyllis Berck of Toronto, Chair of the CAAWS Board of Directors, was also pleased that CAAWS could administer the award on behalf of the Levitt family. “We want to see more girls and women participating and leading in sport and physical activity in Canada. We are very proud to be associated with the Levitt family, and with the Stacey Levitt Scholarship, because it recognizes and encourages the vibrant young women who are active participants not only in sport, but in the life of their community.”
JENNA GALLANT, Oyster Bed Bridge, Prince Edward Island
A first-year Kinesiology student at the University of Calgary, Jenna Gallant is pursuing her speed skating dream. Always involved in school sports such as basketball, track and field, cross-country, badminton, and rugby, she loved the team spirit and self-discipline in each sport. However her true passion was found in speed skating, which she started in 1995 after several years of figure skating. Since then she has progressed to being the top female skater in the Maritime Region. This highly motivated athlete was given the honour to represent her province by being the 2003 Canada Winter Games flag bearer and was named Prince Edward Island’s Junior Female Athlete of the Year 2003. She has been offered the opportunity to further her sport development by training at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, and she hopes to make the National Team. Jenna enjoys every bit of her training and some day hopes to compete for Canada at the Winter Olympics.
MILA MIGUEL, Victoria, British Columbia
A recent graduate from Claremont Secondary School in Victoria, Mila Miguel attributes her involvement in athletics to her introduction to sport in grade three. Reflecting on her 12 years of education, she has found that many of her fondest memories have been created through various sports teams. “Ever since grade three I have continued to grow as an athlete. It is amazing to look back and see how far a person can come simply by starting out on a co-ed basketball team of 30 elementary school students and by taking part in a few games of one bounce volleyball in middle school.” During her four years of high school she participated in soccer, track and field, volleyball and basketball. “I have learned so much from my coaches about the game, but more importantly about the game of life.” She plans to continue to play volleyball at the varsity level with University of Toronto where she is enrolled in the Faculty of Physical Education and Health Sciences.
TRICIA ORZECK, Bramalea, Ontario
Through the medium of sport, Tricia Orzeck has achieved academic, athletic, and professional pursuits despite personal and financial challenges. Tricia’s hard work ethic, high degree of motivation, dedication, and passion have contributed to her personal and athletic development, and been an inspiration to many others to overcome their own trials and tribulations. Her athletic accomplishments include achieving five Gold test medals in figure skating, and competing in six international Triathlon/Duathlon World Championships with four top-10 finishes. She is also an accomplished pianist, an all-star baseball player, dancer, mountain and rock climber, and hiker. Currently finishing her Master’s degree in Psychology, she completed an Honours B.Sc in Kinesiology and Psychology on academic scholarship at York University. Although unable to pursue her own sporting goals during a time of financial downfall, injury, and academic studies, Tricia has dedicated herself to developing and encouraging others, particularly women, through coaching, educating, volunteering, mentoring, and psychological support. Her goal is to help others find the way to reach their dreams, believe that anything is possible, and to love the process of climbing their own mountains.
JANET PRITCHARD, Burlington, Ontario
An honour student for five straight years at Lester B. Pearson High School in Burlington, Janet Pritchard has also been active in athletics throughout her high school days. She played high school basketball, volleyball, track and field and ice hockey. She earned Most Valuable Player awards in three different sports, and was the 2000 Junior Athlete of the Year, and the 2003 Female Athlete of the Year. She was also acknowledged as having given the greatest contribution to the school’s athletic program in 2002. Janet has been involved in her community, playing basketball, as well as coaching girls 8-12 for four years with the Minor Basketball Association of Burlington, and coached a local elementary school girls basketball team. She will be pursuing both basketball and academic studies this fall when she begins studying Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph and plans to play for the Varsity Girls Basketball Team.
KYLEIGH WOODS, Bathhurst, New Brunswick
As Sports Director of her student council, 17-year old Kyleigh Woods played varsity basketball, and maintained a 90+ academic average. She helped lead the varsity golf team to two provincial championships and won her club’s junior championship last summer. As a figure skater, she competed at the sectional level, moving later into the Starskate program where she won two consecutive gold medals at NB provincial championships. This year she was New Brunswick’s recipient of Skate Canada’s 2003 Starskate Athlete Award. Kyleigh volunteers as a coaching assistant as well as administers Lisa’s Gift, a benevolent program she developed for underprivileged children in memory of a skating friend. During the summer she is a hospital volunteer and was a full time volunteer at the 2003 Canada Winter Games in Bathhurst. In September, she will enter the Bachelor of Science program at Dalhousie University in Halifax, working towards a career in Physiotherapy. Kyleigh is honoured to be a recipient of this prestigious award and plans to uphold the ideals this scholarship supports.
