Alexandra Wilson-Zegil awarded TD Scholarship for Community Leadership

Rainbow District School Board Student Trustee, Alexandra Wilson-Zegil, is a 2025 recipient of the TD Scholarship for Community Leadership. The Manitoulin Secondary School student attended the scholarship awards ceremony in Ottawa on May 24, 2025.

TD Scholarships for Community Leadership recipients receive up to $70,000 for tuition and living expenses as well as opportunities for paid summer employment, peer networking and mentorship.

“On behalf of Rainbow District School Board, I extend our congratulations to Alexandra Wilson-Zegil on this impressive scholarship,” said Board Chair David Farrow. “We are so proud of Alexandra for her outstanding achievement. We also extend our thanks to TD for supporting student success.”

“Alexandra has demonstrated leadership skills throughout her years as a student at Manitoulin Secondary School,” said Director of Education Bruce Bourget. “We wish Alexandra the very best as she graduates and begins post-secondary studies. Congratulations!”

Alexandra will attend McMaster University in the fall. Enrolled in Wilson College’s new Leadership & Civic Studies program, she will complete a double major in Political Science. Wilson College’s Leadership & Civic Studies program is Canada’s only Combined Honours degree that has students engage with real-life issues. Students learn to think critically and creatively about our collective future.

With a targeted enrolment of 40 students, the program focuses on topics in the humanities and social sciences with an exploration of diverse models of leadership. It also integrates experiential learning, research, practical application, and public engagement to build students’ understanding of how to foster an inclusive, ethical, and sustainable civic culture in Canada and beyond.

“I want to go to law school after my undergraduate degree and pursue a career in government and advocacy,” says Alexandra Wilson-Zegil who thanked TD for supporting her goals. “The TD Scholarship for Community Leadership has opened doors for my education and my career. I am so grateful for this opportunity to pursue my interests in community engagement, law and leadership.”

In presenting scholarship recipients on their website, TD acknowledged Alexandra’s leadership in bringing technology to youth and seniors across Manitoulin Island. “She prompted her school robotics team to hold coding workshops and presentations in elementary schools across a 171-kilometre range,” they said in her bio.

The bio added: “To strengthen literacy skills that support STEM learning, she published a children’s book about robots protecting the environment, and presented it in island classrooms. Alex also delivered free, tech workshops for senior citizens, teaching cell phone skills to stay connected and live safely in isolated conditions.”

A resident of Gore Bay, Alexandra Wilson-Zegil has a long list of school accomplishments and community involvement to her credit locally and provincially.

During the current school year, she served as the Northern Schools Regional Representative for the Ontario Student Trustees’ Association. This role included being a liaison between students in the North as well as planning a conference.

Alexandra has been involved in many extra-curricular activities at Manitoulin Secondary School. She is captain of the robotics team, has taken on leadership roles in the Student Council and SHARE/Go Green, and writes a weekly column about school events in the local newspaper.

Enrolled in the school’s Specialist High Skills Major in Arts and Culture, she also authored a children’s book, Robofriends and the Mowzone, that promotes robotics and environmental sustainability. Last summer, she attended the prestigious SHAD Canada program.

Alexandra continued her school involvement throughout Grade 12 as she assumed the role of Co-Chair of the Rainbow District School Board Student Senate. She was also involved in community clean-ups, book drives, dances and hockey. She has been playing hockey for the Gore Bay Bruins since she was four-years-old.

“Involvement in school and school life enriches the student experience and provides a broader platform for learning,” she says. “Joining extracurriculars, exploring new concepts in class, and actively developing learning strategies have kept me invested in my education and motivated me to make a difference. Being engaged in teams teaches students invaluable transferable skills like teamwork, commitment and responsibility.”

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Media Contact:
Nicole Charette, Senior Advisor,
Corporate Communications and Strategic Planning,
Rainbow District School Board, 705-674-3171, ext. 7217.