Student aims to grow Canada's space program with Polytechnique White Rose scholarship
$50K scholarship from Polytechnique Montréal honours 14 women killed in 1989
At 23 years old, Makenna Kuzyk is the first woman and second civilian to be admitted to the International Test Pilots School in London, Ont., where she plans to get her master's degree in flight test engineering.
From there, she wants to grow Canada's space program while working to make the world a better place, inspiring women to take an interest in the stars and study aerospace engineering.
"As an engineer, we're taught to build a better future and that's what I want to do," said Kuzyk, who is from Alberta. She'll be getting help achieving her dreams from Polytechnique Montréal.
A ceremony was held Monday morning to honour Kuzyk. She is the 10th recipient of Polytechnique's Order of the White Rose, a $50,000 bursary created in memory of the 14 women murdered at the Montreal engineering school in 1989.
The scholarship is given to a female engineering student annually.
Kuzyk's parents, Chinh Chu and Dale Kuzyk, attended the ceremony, telling CBC News they never doubted their daughter's ability. Her father said they always had strong family values, pushing their children to achieve as much as they want.
"But she took it to another level and I don't know where it comes from, but it's awesome," Dale Kuzyk said.
Recipient can study in Canada or abroad
The $50,000 scholarship, created by Polytechnique in 2014, is presented each year to a Canadian woman studying engineering who wishes to pursue graduate studies (master's or doctoral) at the institution of her choice, in Canada or elsewhere.
The primary goal is to promote female role models in engineering and science across the country.
Kuzyk had just earned her pilot's license, which drained her bank account, when she learned she had been awarded the Order of the White Rose.
"I was shaking," she said. "I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for my master's degree. But this is going to go miles in helping me."
She wants to inspire more women to do the same as they represent only 11 per cent of astronauts worldwide. According to NASA, a mere 75 women have flown in space as of February.
Kuzyk, who says her ideal vacation would be a trip to the moon, wants to add her name to the list of women who have visited space. But her dream goes beyond that as she looks to grow Canada's space program.
"I think Canada has a lot of resources to do it but we just haven't done it yet, and I think we have a lot of young, ambitious people who want to make that step," she said.
She believes that step will start with microgravity, a subject she plans to research further. Microgravity is when people or objects appear to be weightless, such as on the International Space Station.
She has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta. Being the only woman in her aerodynamics class convinced her to create Mission SpaceWalker, a student club focused on the advancement of space research, entirely dedicated to women.
Founding the club caught the attention of the United Nations, where she gave a presentation on the impact of female leadership and helped brainstorm ways to attract more women to space research.
In her free time, she makes music and one of her songs has garnered over 1.5 million streams on Spotify.
Honouring 14 women who lost their lives
"You embody resilience and boldness that are an inspiration for all of us," said Michèle Thibodeau-DeGuire during the ceremony.
In 1963, Thibodeau-DeGuire became the first woman to graduate in civil engineering from Polytechnique and she has long been involved with the Order of the White Rose.
In a news release, she said all the candidates are exceptional.
"They are our leaders of tomorrow, future agents of change and transformation for our society, sources of inspiration and pride for all of us — in short, proof that our common future is in good hands," she said.
Nathalie Provost, an engineer and gun-control advocate who was injured during the 1989 shooting, said Kuzyk radiates joy.
"She seems to have no boundaries in her dreams, in what she is and what she accomplishes. It's very compelling. You want to follow her," said Provost.