The Trent University Alumni Association presented Business Administration graduate Jenna Pilgrim ‘12 with a Young Alumni Leader Award at a special ceremony at Traill College. The award recognizes Ms. Pilgrim’s leadership in the Canadian blockchain and Bitcoin communities, as well as the energy she brings to volunteering with both the Upper Canada College rowing program and the Trent University Rowing Club.

“I am humbled and blessed to be awarded the Young Leader Award, and I can’t wait to see what is to come,” said Ms. Pilgrim. “Trent has been a stronghold in my life since I was a little girl in swimming lessons at the Athletic Centre, and I’m thrilled to be recognized in this way by the community that helped raise me. I couldn’t do any of this without the unwavering support of my parents, my friends who have become family, and my team backing me up.”

The Young Leader Award recognizes young alumni who have shown outstanding leadership throughout their first 10 years of alumni status, either in their professional career or in community, public or humanitarian service.

Ms. Pilgrim is the co-founder and chief executive officer for Streambed Media, a start-up blockchain media firm, and the former director of business development for Bloq Inc. She is a subject matter expert on blockchain technology and its application in both financial markets and current global issues. Specifically, Ms. Pilgrim has used her roles with Streambed and Bloq to focus on developing innovative solutions to tackle the climate and energy crises using blockchain technology.

Currently, Ms. Pilgrim is also a volunteer rowing instructor at Upper Canada College and serves as the community betterment executive for the Trent University Rowing Club, playing a key role in developing its 50^th anniversary suite of activities. She is also very active in the charitable works of the organization, helping with programs to benefit Movember, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Kawartha Food Share.

During her time at Trent University, Ms. Pilgrim was the recipient of the David Glassco Prize recognizing a student who demonstrated outstanding generosity of spirit in a range of activities outside the classroom. Ms. Pilgrim also received the Bonnie Patterson Leadership Fund Grant and was a TEW Nind Fund recipient, supporting her projects related to Canadian Heritage Preservation on Symons Campus.

She is a past recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award.

“It’s an honour to celebrate a Trent alumna who is making an impact at such an early stage of her career,” said Lee Hays, director of Alumni Engagement and Services. “Particularly in an innovative sector that is changing the way business is being done on a global level.”