Durham Region High School Student and Community Leader Named Recipient of Meridian's Sean Jackson Scholarship

TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2021 /CNW/ - September 15, 2021 – Meridian, Ontario's largest credit union and second largest in Canada, is proud to name Durham Region resident, Charlene Rocha, as the 2021 recipient of the Meridian Sean Jackson Scholarship. 

Launched in honour of Meridian's former CEO Sean Jackson, an avid community leader, the scholarship awards $10,000 to one Ontario high school student who demonstrates both academic excellence and an outstanding commitment to community.

"The Sean Jackson Scholarship has provided Meridian an opportunity to recognize and support numerous young leaders that are committed to improving their local communities and the world at large. This year's recipient, Charlene Rocha, is no exception," said David Moore, Chief Marketing & Digital Officer, Meridian, "Her commitment to community activism, and support of Indigenous and environmental causes is incredible, but perhaps more remarkable is her generosity to mentor other young women and people of colour in an effort to create a more inclusive community.  We are very proud to recognize Charlene Rocha as our 2021 Sean Jackson Scholarship winner."

Charlene's diverse background combined with an unwavering will to help others, was the catalyst to her active engagement in her community. Just like at Meridian, Charlene believes in building resilience. Charlene knows that by taking initiative and showing others how she has created positive change, others will be inspired to follow suit.

"I hope to have a stable career and a fulfilling life for myself and my family. By pairing my enthusiasm for education with my passion for activism, I am determined to change the world," says Charlene, "I am truly honoured to be a recipient of Meridian's Sean Jackson Scholarship and hope that my experience will inspire other young people to take action and make a meaningful difference in the world."

The Sean Jackson Scholarship award will support Charlene's education at the University of Waterloo, where she will pursue a degree in software engineering, with the long-term career objective to create software that will contribute to the wellness of society by helping activists and encouraging young girls to pursue STEM careers.

Meridian's Sean Jackson Scholarship is administered in partnership with the Niagara Community Foundation. For more information about Charlene and the award, visit Sean Jackson Scholarship on our website.

About Meridian

With more than 75 years of banking history, Meridian is Ontario's largest credit union and the second largest in Canada, helping to grow the lives of 375,000 Members and customers. Meridian has $27.2 billion in assets under management (as at June 30, 2021) and delivers a full range of financial services online, by phone, by mobile and through a network of 89 branches across Ontario, and business banking services in 15 locations. Meridian cardholders have access to over 43,000 surcharge-free ABMs in North America with THE EXCHANGE® Network and the Allpoint Network in the US. For more information, please visit: www.meridiancu.ca, follow us on Twitter @MeridianCU or see our Facebook site.

SOURCE Meridian Credit Union

Jacob Del Zotto, Corporate Communications Coordinator, Meridian, [email protected]