Danaysia Ash
COUNSELLOR:
Julie Mireault-Wiseman
SCHOOL:
Sir John A. Macdonald High School
CITY:
Upper Tantallon, NS
It is my great pleasure to nominate Danaysia Ash for the Trevor H. Shirtliff Difference Maker Scholarship. The staff at Sir John A. sees and recognizes how she has made and continues to make a difference in other people's life. Her caring and compassionate nature shine everyday.
Danaysia has made a difference in the life of so many other students. She has given her time and spread her kindness around like confetti! She has been an outstanding Nova Scotia International Student Program Ambassador. She has welcomed so many new students at our school and made them feel part of our community in no time. She does that by contacting them even before the arrive. does a tour of the school when they arrive and organizes activities for them. The students are comfortable with her and ask her any questions they have and she finds the answers for them. Each year we have over 30 international students (except for this year which is 2 and now 1 student) and she has been able to establish a friendly and supportive relationship with so many of them. She loves to learn from their culture and to share our culture with them. She listens to their needs and is flexible. This year. she also reached out to our Learning Centre and help with various activities and build a relationship with two students in our learning centre. As you can see. Danaysia's kindness knows no boundaries. It is my great pleasure to write this reference letter for Danaysia Ash for the Trevor H. Shirtliff Scholarship. She has been nominated and selected by our staff for this award. She is an outstanding student and a truly caring person who has shown initiative and perseverance. I have been her school counsellor for 3 years and I have had the privilege to get to know her more through our Nova Scotia International Student Program as she has been an ambassador for the past 2 years.
Danaysia's average first semester this year was 95.75% which is outstanding. Her time management skills and drive to succeed are evident as she also volunteers at school. This past fall, she has been assisting two special needs students with various tasks. She has also joined our Student council and is working with other students to plan COVID-19 safe activities. Her third extra-curricular is our Culture Club. She is presently working on multilingual signage for rooms around SJA. Being involved at school is not new for Danaysia as she was part of the Free to GIVE group and accumulated 19 hours of volunteering by helping with events such as food drives, and plant sales. It is not surprising that she was one of our two Lieutenant Governor's recipient last year.
What sets Danaysia apart is her kind and friendly soul. I have witness time and time again how quickly she connects with our International students and makes them feel part of our school. Her empathy and leadership skills have made those students enjoy their time at Sir John A. She has organized activities to show them our culture and takes the time to learn about their culture. She reached out to the students before they arrive to Nova Scotia and answered any questions/concerns they have. She has kept in touch with many of the students after they return to their country.
She has the work ethic, drive and time management skills to continue to be very success in her future. She will be pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology & Anthropology. Afterwards she will continue with a Bachelor of Education as her dream is to become a teacher.
As you can see, Danaysia Ash is highly qualified for the Trevor H. Shirtliff Scholarship. She truly cares and wants to give back to others. I very highly recommend her for this scholarship.
