Hal High’s Aurora Wesley received “the biggest honour of her life” last week, becoming the first person from the County to win the prestigious Terry Fox Humanitarian Award. The Grade 12 student was one of 15 youth from across Canada recognized, earning a $30,000 scholarship after years of community service, leadership, academic excellence and involvement in sport across the Highlands.
Established in 1982, the award is presented annually to students who embody Terry Fox’s spirit at the grassroots level in their home
community. It’s open to anyone aged 17 to 25.
Wesley said she learned about the award last fall from Brett Caputo, guidance teacher at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School. She was
one of 3,899 applicants.
“It’s kind of a niche award – you have to tick so many boxes, having humanitarian experience along with athletics, some kind of work
background and academics. But you also need to have gone through some kind of hardship in your life, something you’ve had to overcome, like Terry did,” Wesley said.
In her application, submitted in November, Wesley talked about how, when she was in Grade 4, she ran a ‘wig out’ fundraiser at J.D. Hodgson Elementary School that raised $1,000 for cancer research. She said the event was inspired by her godmother, who died from cancer earlier that year.
“I cut all my hair off and inspired four or five other students to do the same,” Wesley said. “We had a huge school assembly… it was
pretty exciting for an 11-year-old to feel like they are part of something bigger.”
Service above self resonates
As a pre-teen, Wesley was also involved in 4-H programming, inspired by her years of growing up on a farm. Once in high school, she joined the Interact club – a branch of Rotary for younger people. She helped with more than a dozen food and toy drives and also assisted with fundraising efforts for Hal High’s sister school – Mahatma Gandhi Sishu Siksha Sadan School in northern India.
The Interact club’s mantra of ‘service above self’ really resonated with her.
“That’s how I’ve wanted to live my life for as long as I can remember. Joining enabled me to work with a team of like minded people to tackle projects at the community, national and international level,” Wesley said.
She was also part of the group who helped bring the outdoor classroom at Hal High to life in 2024.
On the athletic side, she played field hockey and basketball and was part of the school’s wrestling and track and field teams. Away from school, she held jobs at Kawartha Dairy, Heather Lodge and Camp Wanakita.
Last fall, a sudden change at home saw Wesley’s household go from two incomes to one, which made it difficult for the family to make ends meet.
“We had to turn to the community for help and I’m really grateful for having such a supportive community in Haliburton County that we were able to get help from the local food banks,” Wesley said. “It was kind of a full circle moment for me because I received one of the gifts that I helped bring in for the teen gift drive at Christmas.
“I was passionate about helping before, but kind of felt like somebody on the outside looking in. Now, having gone through that experience, I can really relate more. I connect with others differently and approach service differently… with a level of empathy and understanding that I didn’t have before,” she added.
Surreal moment
Wesley was completing her kinesiology homework one evening in April when she received a call from Vancouver. It was Kirsten Fox, the eldest niece of Terry Fox.
“I was in shock, just started crying right away,” Wesley said, noting she met Fox in Ottawa last week. She spent two days with fellow award recipients, forming connections with some of the country’s top up-and-coming leaders.
There was also a visit to Parliament Hill, where Wesley got to watch Question Period and meet with local MP Jamie Schmale and speaker of the House of Commons, MP Francis Scarpaleggia. There was also a brief interaction with prime minister Mark Carney.
“We didn’t get to talk to him, but he walked by us and called us a ‘well-behaved bunch’.”
Wesley will be attending Western University in London in the fall, taking business administration with a focus in finance for the first two years and then transitioning to an honours business administration (HBA) at Ivey Business School. She’s thinking about going to law school after completing her undergrad, eying a career in health care policy development or hospital management.
Hal High principal Jennifer Mills said Wesley is a credit to the school and deserving of the accolade.
“Aurora is a truly exceptional individual who leads with both heart and purpose… she consistently steps outside her comfort zone to help and make the experiences for others better,” Mills said. “It has been a privilege to watch her grow in confidence at HHSS, realizing her own power to make a difference.”
Wesley said she hopes her win can help inspire future generations of students in the Highlands.
“It’s amazing when a person from a small town wins such a big award,” Wesley said.
