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Owen Sound teen named finalist for Loran Award

An Owen Sound teen has been named a finalist in a prestigious scholarship program.

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Magnus Roland Marun, a Grade 12 student at St. Mary’s High School, has been named a finalists for a 2021 Loran Award from the Loran Scholars Foundation.

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“It is an honour even to get to the semifinals,” Roland Marun said Monday. “I was really surprised.”

Roland Marun, 17, was just one of 72 youth from across Canada named a finalist for the award, which saw a record 6,084 applicants in 2021.

He said it is a great program and he is proud to just be associated with it.

“It focuses on long-range development,” said Roland Marun. “Their acronym stands for Long-Range Aid to Navigation.

“A lot of it is focused around summer internships and mentorships.”

The foundation is an independent charitable organization that partners with universities, donors and volunteers to identify and support young people who are making positive change in their community. Award winners are selected based on evidence of character, commitment to community service and leadership potential.

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Roland Marun was nominated for the award by his school and then filled out an application detailing his community involvement, extracurriculars and other information. He was chosen as a finalist in early February following an interview with Loran volunteers. The Loran Scholars Foundation is holding virtual national selections through the months of February and March. Roland Marun said his finals interview is coming up soon.

At St. Mary’s, Roland Marun has served on student council and played in the school band. He has been a member of the robotics team there, taking part in First Robotics and Vex Robotics competitions, as well as part of the envirothon team, taking part in Envirothon Ontario competitions.

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Roland Marun is also a member of the teen advisory group at the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library.

He has enjoyed making short films since elementary school, and has submitted his works to the Grey Bruce Youth Film Festival. Last year he made a film called Shutdown (COVID-19) depicting the deserted streets, beaches and parks of the area during the first wave of the pandemic.

“At first I was just taking pictures of how crazy it looked on the main street with no cars,” said Marun. “It turned into a montage with eerie music, like a sort of documentary I suppose.”

Trevor Chiasson, a guidance counsellor at St. Mary’s, said each year one student is nominated for the Loran Award, and Roland Marun is the first from the school to make the finals.

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“He is a great candidate. He excels academically and has also been involved in a number of the extracurricular programs here at the school,” said Chiasson.

“He is just a really nice kid, quiet and very considerate of others.”

The Loran Award is valued at $100,000 over four years, including a $10,000 annual stipend, tuition waivers from any one of 25 partner universities, mentorship, and funding for summer work experiences. It also includes annual gatherings and a weeklong orientation expedition at Algonquin Park.

Roland Marun said is particularly interested in the summer internships available including those focusing on community development, public policy and enterprise.

“You get an overview, or at least a taste, of different things you could do,” Roland Marun said.

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Finalists not selected as scholars are eligible for a $5,000 finalist award to be used at any Canadian public university.

Up to 36 awards will be handed out this year. In 2019, Owen Sound resident Ryan Brown was one of 35 scholars.

Magnus Roland Marun plays bagpipes with the McLaren Pipe and Drum Band out of Wiarton.Photo by supplied photo

Roland Marun said he is “basically interested in any academic subject,” but is particularly interested in biology and public policy.

He has applied to continue his post-secondary education at a number of Canadian universities, with his top choice being the University of British Columbia.

He plans to start out taking science, with the potential to specialize in biology, ecology, evolutionary biology, or genetics in the future.

“I am also really interested in public policy and the environment,” he said Roland. “I just don’t know exactly what I want to do yet.”

In his spare time, Roland Marun enjoys activities such as kayaking, swimming, hiking and walking his dog Merlin. He is the son of Cvitka Marun, and has two older brothers, Emil Roland Marun and Torulv Marun.

He also plays the bagpipes with the McLaren Pipe and Drum Band based in Wiarton.

“I just started learning about a year-and-a-half ago,” he said. “It is really fun.

“I think my neighbours like it. They say they do.”

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