Examples of our Strong Academic School!
By Michael Clarkson
Although FEIA is known internationally as a high-performance sports school, internally it is also revered for its high academics of non athletes.
Over the years, many of our students have won full or partial academic scholarships to Canadian and the U.S. colleges and universities, including many graduates from this year.
"Yes, we're a high standard sports school, but we also have excellent students," says FEIA guidance counsellor Adam Nash.
Four students interviewed for this story say, as they graduate this spring, they have loved the warm culture and inspiring liberal arts curriculum with its creative and critical thinking.
Sara Mariam has accepted a scholarship to the University of Alberta, continuing her life’s adventure, which began with her birth in Pakistan, her upbringing in Saudi Arabia, and this school year at FEIA. “I have friends here from China, Spain and Brazil. I like to learn about their cultures, and teach others about mine.”
“I don’t know where I’d like to live – it could be anyplace in the world,” she said. “I really like Alberta and the Rocky Mountains. I think I’d like to call that place home.”
Sara had 95 per cent marks in her first semester at FEIA.
Pedro Corduva, who is from Brazil, appreciated the isolated atmosphere in Fort Erie. “I like how quiet it is. I needed a quiet place to focus on my applications," he said. "It's a diverse culture and I made a lot of friends."
Pedro, who will take life sciences at the University of Toronto, hopes to help others by studying infectious diseases. Michigan State, the University of Minnesota and the University of Ottawa were also interested in him.
Victoria Kim, who was born in South Korea and is completing her second year at FEIA, is considering offers from six universities, including Toronto Metro, the University of Ottawa, and York University.
She seems intrigued by her acceptance by the University of Sydney in Australia, but when making her choice she will lean towards the amount of scholarship offered.
Victoria has enjoyed her FEIA experience, which has introduced her to "lots of friends from various countries — Canada, Mexico and Spain. The teachers are so nice. After school they come to the library to help me understand English better."
She will take architectural engineering at university. Her mother is a teacher in South Korea, and like many other international boarding students, making close friends here has kept her from being lonely.
Uweoma Agbamuche, from Nigeria, has been accepted at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo and will study business administration and financial mathematics.
He has liked the culture, scheduling, and the teacher-student ratio at FEIA. "The teachers are really nice — if you need extra help, they assist you after school," he said.
The school’s basketball team has said he could try out if he takes his first year strictly as studies.
Our FEIA website will soon feature scholarships won by athletes.
