Eight Scholarships Awarded through the 2025 AEBC/Allyant Scholarship Program!

On behalf of the Scholarship Committee and my Co-Chair, Betty Nobel, I would like to introduce you to the eight amazing students who were awarded scholarships this year. They embody the spirit of diversity and academic excellence which we strive to encourage.

This year, two of our scholarships are dedicated to members who are no longer with us—Tom Teranishi and John Rae. Both were passionate AEBC members whose legacies will live on. A third scholarship presented by our BC Affiliate, honours a long-time AEBC member, Betty Nobel.

Tom Teranishi Memorial Scholarship – Aidan Gibbons 

The Tom Teranishi Memorial Scholarship, an award sponsored by the AEBC BC Affiliate, has been awarded to Aidan Gibbons. Aidan is a 19-year-old social impact leader pursuing both a bachelor's and master’s degree in business management as an outgoing sophomore at The University of British Columbia. He is very enthusiastic about change-making, youth leadership, and disability awareness.

Aidan is the Co-founder and Executive Director of one of the fastest-growing youth-led nonprofit organizations in Canada, helping spread awareness and support for kids facing disabilities: INSPIRED 2 UPLIFT. His NGO works towards normalizing the school environment and providing a caring and safe community for students with disabilities as they navigate the uphill battle against societal stigmas at school and in their community. In the past year, Aidan, along with his partners, cultivated a team of youth leaders in growing their own I2U chapters throughout Canada and the USA.

Aidan's work has been recognized in local news outlets and has been recognized through provincial, national, and international awards. He strongly believes in uniting younger generations to make positive change and plans on discussing his journey, youth leadership, and nonprofit at speaking events across the nation in the coming years.

John Rae Memorial Scholarship – Margot Wehrle

The John Rae Memorial Scholarship, made possible from his legacy gift, has been awarded to Margot Wehrle. Margot is a twelfth-grade student from Victoria, British Columbia. She is also a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, para-triathlete, and academic. Margot is a committed advocate for equality in all areas of life—in the classroom as a blind student, in music as a female drummer in the male-dominated rhythm section, as an athlete, and in her everyday life. Margot’s career goals are to become a psychologist, and she will begin her studies at the University of Victoria in the fall. She dreams of helping people develop resilience, confidence, and self-awareness, and in doing so, to make this world a better place.

Betty Nobel Scholarship – Mitch Brian Kidd

The BC Affiliate is proud to award a scholarship in honor of Betty Nobel, a long-time AEBC member and Vice-President of the BC Affiliate, who has spent over 30 years educating adults at Vancouver Community College. She founded VCC’s visually impaired program in 1981 and received the YWCA Woman of Distinction award in 2000 for her work in education and training. Betty is recognized for her ongoing dedication to helping blind, partially sighted, and deafblind students pursue post-secondary studies. This award has been granted to Mitch Brian Kidd.

Mitch Brian Kidd lives on Vancouver Island with his guide dog Mario. He grew up in South Africa where he attended a school for the blind before moving to Canada in grade ten. Mitch is passionate about teaching and has always felt called to the profession. In 2024, he enrolled in the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program through Vancouver community College. He currently works at the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind which provides him with a unique opportunity to use the skills he is learning.

In his spare time, Mitch enjoys music, crafts, hiking, gardening, cooking and spending time with his two miniature horses--Rosebud and Bitsy. Lately, he’s been experimenting with AI to access visual information and has even managed to teach himself some new crafts using AI.

Allyant Scholarship - Marie-Ève Létourneau

 We are also pleased that Allyant continued their fourteen-year tradition by sponsoring a scholarship, which has been awarded to Marie-Ève Létourneau. Marie-Ève is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. Functionally blind due to a degenerative disease of the retina present since birth, her university career requires constant adaptation, which she approaches with rigor, creativity and resilience. Passionate about helping relationships, Marie-Ève aspires to become a clinical psychologist specializing in supporting adults who have experienced trauma, with a human, psychocorporeal and inclusive approach. In addition to her academic commitment, Marie-Ève is actively involved in her community, particularly in palliative care, at a listening center, and through accessibility awareness projects. A lover of nature and social dance, she practices hiking and Brazilian Zouk, adapting these activities to her reality with determination. For Marie-Ève, disability is not just an obstacle, but a prism through which listening, presence and human connection are born. Her objective: to build a professional practice deeply rooted in empathy and inclusion, and to contribute to a society where difference becomes an asset.

AEBC Donor Scholarships - Ibrahim Yousif, Taha Al-Hammadi, Aidan Lapp and Renuka Jantz

For the ninth year, an anonymous donor has made several awards possible. This year, we have used their donation to fund four awards to Ibrahim Yousif, Taha Al-Hammadi, Aidan Lapp, and Renuka Jantz.

Ibrahim Yousif is attending his fourth year at the University of Winnipeg full time pursuing a Bachelor Arts Degree in Psychology. Ibrahim immigrated from Sudan in 2004, leaving his home country due to the war there. When he first arrived in Canada, Ibrahim enrolled in the Red River College ESL program and focused on learning about Winnipeg life, how to navigate the city, and the history of Manitoba. Now that he is more settled into Canadian lifestyle, he enjoys walking, focusing on his studies, spending time with friends and volunteering with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. That work helps him obtain knowledge about human behaviour, trauma, and conflict. Ibrahim’s dream is to work with people overcoming similar life challenges--surviving war, immigrating to a new country, and experiencing sudden blindness late in life.

Taha Al-Hammadi was born in Sana’a, Yemen, with optic atrophy, a condition that causes 95% visual impairment. When civil war broke out, Taha moved to Turkey, where he pursued photography and graphic design, and worked as a wedding and event photographer. He also completed a Full-Stack Development Bootcamp, which led him to develop a strong interest in technology. In 2022, after waiting four years due to COVID-19 delays, Taha reunited with family in Ottawa. He enrolled in Adult High School to improve English and math skills, graduating in 2024. Currently, Taha is studying Web Development and Internet Applications at Algonquin College. He volunteers regularly, including one year at the Breakfast Club at Adult High School and every semester at Algonquin’s Open House events. In class, he faces daily challenges due to his low vision. Taha is unable to see the board or projector presentations clearly, so he relies on tools such as a portable CCTV, screen magnifiers, and digital copies of all materials. These accommodations help him succeed in a visual learning environment. Taha’s goal is to use technology to build accessible digital experiences for everyone.

Aidan Lapp is a fourth-year undergraduate student at MacEwan University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with a Political Science Major and a French Minor. Aidan is legally blind, having undergone 5 years of cancer treatment for bilateral retinoblastoma as a child, leading to severe damage to the left eye and inoculation of the right. He aspires toward a career in International Security and aims to specialize in peacebuilding and the politics of black markets, state-sponsored crime, and war economies. Aidan has remained on the Dean’s List since 2022 and maintains a 4.0 Political Science and French GPA. He spent two years as the Vice-President and coach of MacEwan’s Model United Nations Team and will serve as an Assistant-Director of the National Model United Nations (NMUN) Canada conference in Banff this November. This past year, MacEwan’s delegation, representing Romania, won two Position Paper Awards and the Outstanding Delegation Award at NMUN New York 2025. Aidan has also worked with the City of Edmonton’s Council Protocol and External Relations department as a project lead on a Mock City Council experience for the Edmonton Students’ Alliance, and as a policy analyst on municipal-international relations and climate resilience.

Renuka Jantz is a mature student at NorQuest College who is passionate about advocacy and accessibility for students with disabilities, especially those experiencing vision loss. Her journey has been shaped by resilience—losing her vision due to Retinitis Pigmentosa while studying law at the University of Alberta which forced her to reimagine her future. Despite this challenge, Renuka completed her studies and later dedicated two decades to volunteering and raising a family before returning to school. Now, in the Settlement Studies program, Renuka works to break down barriers for students facing systemic challenges. She meets with instructors to promote flexible learning, advocate for adapted assignments, and push for more accessible campus events. Her leadership extends beyond academics—she has collaborated with the Students' Association to introduce braille-friendly games, organize a blind student support network, and engage in community-building initiatives. Through self-advocacy, education, and peer support, Renuka strives to foster equity, inclusion, and meaningful change. Her goal is to empower others, ensuring that students experiencing vision loss are fully recognized and included—not just in classrooms, but in every aspect of college life.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the wonderful students who received AEBC scholarship awards this year. We could have given out many more awards—our candidates were all worthy.

Marcia Yale and Betty Nobel

Co-Chairs, Scholarship Committee