The Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation granted Weston Loran Awards to only 30 students from across Canada this year and Meisner was one of them.

Last fall, the South Brookfield resident filled out an application form and attended provincial interview sessions held at University of King’s College in Halifax.

Her potential was strong. Meisner was a member of three school athletic teams and is an accomplished runner and all-round athlete. She was president of the school’s student body council and she started a walking and running club to provide community fitness opportunities, according to a foundation synopsis of some of her qualifications.

The foundation literature states: “Students that best reflect the criteria of character, leadership and community service are considered to be strong candidates. Activities both within the school and out in the community are weighed equally. An 85 per cent average is the minimum academic threshold for consideration.” Meisner surpassed the 90 per cent mark.

Meisner remembers the fall session. The entire day consisted of interviews, she explained, including one on one, lunch and panel interviews.

From there, she went to the national interview, which was held in Toronto last Feb. and went through the same process.

Meisner said 71 other students from across Canada plus scholars from previous years attended.

Waiting was, “a little nerve wrecking,” she said, so she was pleased when she was called the next day with the results.

The Weston Loran Award covers tuition plus room and board, she explained, in addition to three summer internship programs.

Students are required to travel abroad to work, study or volunteer alongside individuals with different values and cultural backgrounds, to work with governmental or non-governmental organizations to understand how public policy is developed and learn the basics of policy analysis, and to either start their own business or work within a public or private corporate environment during the three summers.

Meisner will be attending Dalhousie University in the fall to take a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology.

Although she isn’t 100 per cent sure what she will do with her education, she hopes to get into sports science research, “because I love sports.”

At the end of each year of university, Meisner said she is required to fill out a report that will be evaluated. She will also be matched with a mentor during her four years of university.

In the meantime, however, Meisner said, she will remain at home since she will be spending the next three summers away.