Scholarship
Apply By May 3rd!
Application Process
To apply, students entering university in the fall of 2024 must submit three pieces:
• A letter telling the selection committee about themselves, their plans for school and their qualifications for this scholarship;
• A 250-word essay on how Integrative Thinking has impacted them, personally; and
• The name and email address of a teacher or administrator who will be their reference. We will contact the references of the top three applicants.
Payment of the award is conditional on full-time registration at the University of Toronto in the fall of the year the scholarship is granted.
This scholarship was established by Roger and Sue Short, Roger Martin and Jennifer Riel. Their generous donation supports and recognizes the use of Integrative Thinking in K-12 classrooms.
Past Scholarship Recipients
“Since being introduced to integrative thinking in my IB Theory of Knowledge class, I came to appreciate its value in developing creative and holistic approaches to multifaceted problems. The Pro-Pro Chart, for instance, offered me a technique to consider and synthesize opposing ideas. By using this method of reasoning, I found it easier to identify and assess the complementary or conflicting aspects of various arguments.”
– Theo O’Connell, Global Affairs, 2023 | Student of Gus Liapis
“Integrative Thinking has helped me to resist my natural instinct of forming biases and making assumptions by teaching me to consciously climb up the Ladder of Inference… I’ve learned that I don’t have to choose one options out of two or saying yes to the “either-or” option, but instead, I could seek a more complex path that may be very unusual but still relevant and a lot more advanced as compared to what was given”
– Phuc Tran, Biochemistry, 2021 | Student of Imran Mohamed
“Integrative Thinking emphasizes the absence of singular “correct” or straightforward resolutions, teaching me that coming to an effective solution takes dedication and prioritization. Applying this method helped me gain more patience and motivated me to dig deeper and experiment to achieve the most mutually beneficial solution.”
– Raisa Harusova, Rotman Commerce, 2022 | Student of Jeremy Dickstein
“You can’t work through and solve a real-world problem that really matters on your own. Integrative Thinking not only showed me the benefit of looking beyond my own thinking but also how to do it, and how to to seek out other perspectives, especially if they’re different than mine, and how to make sense of that. Integrative Thinking has really allowed me to change my mindset and outlook on problem solving in every aspect of life.”
– Laurel Gain, Computer Engineering, 2020 | Student of Mike Gleeson
“I was a textbook linear thinker. I believed that there as only ever one correct path towards success and that choosing the “wrong” answer would result in certain failure. However, after being introduced to Integrative Thinking in my English class, I began to realize that there exists many complex real-world problems that demand innovative solutions.”
– Brian Feng, Cell & Molecular Biology, 2019 | Student of I-Think Facilitator Jennifer Warren
“Most students tend to go straight to coming up with the next best thing to show their innovative solutions. Integrative Thinking helps you take a step back and understand what is causing the problem and helps you focus on resolving that tension. Constantly being pushed outside my comfort zone has helped me be less afraid of new challenges and has made me more resilient.”
– Kate Azizova, Rotman Commerce, 2017 | Student of I-Think Mentor Rahim Essabhai
“Integrative Thinking was not an overnight change, it took many attempts to fully understand the process and learn how to effectively use it… Since it was taught in my senior chemistry, earth and space, and biology classes I had multiple opportunities to develop my Integrative Thinking skills. I find Pro-Pro analysis charts to be one of the most useful tools I learned how to use in high school.”
– Ben Longley, Biomedical Physics, 2018 | Student of I-Think Mentor Craig Julseth
“In my very earnest attempt to uncover my educational path, Integrative Thinking proved to be crucial. It helped me weigh academic proponents against my passions. Utilizing this method of thinking has brought clarity and ease to my reasoning and thought processes—in both academic and extracurricular settings. Integrative Thinking helped me not only choose my educational path but also laid the groundwork for my new mind frame.”
