Holland College student Tara Maddix, who is finishing first-year of the Business Administration program, has earned more than good marks this year. She also walks away with a 2015 Nissan Micra! Four other students, Nicole Christiansen, Legal Administration; Jillian Curley, Practical Nursing; Nathan Lynde, Power Engineering; and David Andrew MacKenzie, Automotive Technology, start their summers $1,000 richer, all made possible thanks to the generosity of Calgary businessman and former Islander, Lou MacEachern.

While 44 students were nominated for the Earn a Car Award for their outstanding efforts, the top five nominees were identified and interviewed by a selection panel on Wednesday morning. The car and four cash awards of $1,000 were then presented at a celebration at the Prince of Wales Campus later that afternoon.

For the second year in a row, candidates were nominated by faculty and staff on the basis of merit, character, and academic achievement. Mr. MacEachern said his hope was to motivate students to work toward achieving their personal and academic best.

“My objective wasn’t simply to reward the student with the highest marks,” said MacEachern. “It was about motivating all students to roll up their sleeves and reach their full potential.”

MacEachern grew up in Hazel Grove, PEI, and, like many of his generation, left school at a young age to help on the family farm. In 1956, he returned to Queen Charlotte School in Charlottetown as a mature student, after which he attended post-secondary training at Prince of Wales College and then Dalhousie University. MacEachern moved to Calgary, where he married, raised a family, and made his mark as a leader in business and as a benefactor in the community.

“Lou’s tremendous generosity is truly inspiring,” said Holland College President, Dr. Brian McMillan. “This exciting initiative produced many personal bests for our students this year. We are both pleased and proud of their outstanding efforts.”

In his remarks, MacEachern announced his commitment to fund the initiative again in 2016/17.