Kildonan-East Collegiate Student Honoured with Trio Award from Manitoba Hydro

Manitoba Hydro offers awards, bursaries and scholarships for high school, college, and university students enrolled in engineering, business, information technology, and trades and technology programs. This year, Kildonan-East student Juaquin Perez received Hydro’s grade 10 Trio Award.

"Juaquin is a very dedicated and committed student who takes his studies seriously,” said teacher Michelle English. “He continually tries to become a better version of himself in all areas of his life, which reflects his introspection and maturity. His peers look up to him and he has always been well-respected by his teachers. In addition to his academic strength, Juaquin is a well-rounded person who shines in sports, and his positive disposition renders him a very likeable and approachable individual."  

Now 16 years old and in Grade 11, Juaquin is considering a career in dentistry, but he is taking sciences and math courses to keep his options open. Outside of academics, Juaquin is also active in school sports at Kildonan East, including soccer, volleyball, and cross-country running. 

The Trio Awards were created for Indigenous students in grades 10, 11, and 12 for academic performance in math, English and science. Juaquin’s mother is from the Sayisi Dene First Nation in northern Manitoba, and his maternal grandmother is a residential school survivor. His father immigrated to Canada from El Salvador at age 14. 

“My parents taught me the value of hard work and the importance of school,” said Juaquin.

The Trio Awards give the winning students not only recognition, but also a monetary award. Juaquin’s plan is to save the money for his post-secondary education, though he might also use some of it to reward himself for all the hard work he put into grade 10. 

Congratulations, Juaquin! Keep up the good work!