After being raised by her grandmother from the age of two, Jaden Sommerville (Traill College) faced an especially difficult time during her grandmother’s final weeks in 2020. Amid the challenge, she witnessed something that would shape her future: the kindness, compassion, and expertise of the nursing staff who cared not only for her grandmother, but for her entire family. The experience inspired Jaden to pursue a career in nursing. 

Now a second-year student in the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing (TFSON), Jaden is the inaugural recipient of the Lulu Johnston Memorial Award, which offers financial assistance to support her studies and career goals. 

“I am so grateful that this award allows me to put greater focus on my studies as I work towards providing better healthcare to rural areas,” Jaden says. “Having lived in a rural community my whole life, I’ve seen how much access to care matters. With exciting new tools such as virtual care and remote monitoring, I hope to help advance support even further for patients in small rural communities.”   

The prestigious award was established by Christopher Handley in honour of his late grandmother Lulu Johnston. This scholarship supports students who demonstrate a commitment to strengthening health care in rural communities, either through prior experience in rural health settings or a clear determination to contribute to rural health care in the future.    

“My grandmother believed deeply in caring for others and supporting her community,” says Handley. “Through this award, I hope to help students like Jaden pursue their calling and make a meaningful difference in rural health care.” 

The Lulu Johnston Memorial Award was presented to Jaden on April 27 during the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing (TFSON) Awards and Scholarship Ceremony in the Student Centre. 

Recipients of other TFSON awards and scholarships include: 

• Nathan Urquhart: Pat & Doug Vaisey Peer Mentoring Award 
• Dorcas Oladele: Elizabeth Collins Nursing Leadership Award 
• Dorcas Oladele: Lida Ghoreishi Memorial Scholarship 
• Jiyu Kelly Oh: June Woodend Community Palliative Care Nursing Award 
• Nadia Mohammed-Sani & Megha Patel: Janet Bews Scholarship 
• Wan Fung (Tommy) Chow: Parkinson’s Society – Dr. Ted Cragg Award 
• Olivia Gibson & Ruth Ohobi: Community Health Nursing Foundation Prize 
• Bailey Wilson: Nicholl’s/Civic Alumnae Prize 
• Jaden Sommerville, Nicholas Givens, Sabrina Richardson, Anneke Westbury, Nicola Dew & Ashley Castell: Doreen (Larmer) Stewart Nursing Scholarship 
• Jennifer Clark: Cathy Graham Clinical Instructor Award 
• Josh Reesor: Preceptor Award 
• Cassie Duncan: TFSON Award for Support Staff 
• Ruth Kellar: The Decanal Award for Teaching Excellence in Nursing 

Learn how you can support the next generation of nursing leaders at Trent University.