Mastercard Foundation Scholars are selected because of their demonstrated intention to carry out positive change. Our programming serves to complement the active and passive leadership development that is provided to all McGill students, with a special focus on Scholars’ particular leadership framework. All programming is cohort-based, with Scholars supporting each other's leadership development.
1st Year: Identity and Diversity
In the first year of the Scholars Program, programming is centred on themes of "integration and identity."
Scholars participate in three to four workshops each semester exploring topics like Gender and Identity; Participatory Development; and Diversity and Social Networks.
First-year programming includes Scholars and Peer Mentors, and serves as a launching point for Scholars’ self-reflection as members of overlapping communities at McGill and home.
2nd Year: Career Education and Internships
As Scholars participate in their first internships after year two, second-year programming provides Scholars with the practical skills and mindsets associated with securing internships and succeeding in the workplace.
Second-year workshops include topics like Professional Networking; CVs and Cover Letters; and What to Expect when You Are Expecting to Return Home.
From the International Development Studies major who finds out that for-profit banking is a way to grow local economies, to the Computer Science major who finds an internship developing apps to enable access to education, year two helps Scholars further affirm their leadership pathways.
3rd Year: Looking Back and Looking Forward
After two years focusing on Scholars’ transitions into the McGill community and the professional sphere, third-year programming pivots to Scholars’ lifelong learning. Third-year programming allows Scholars to look back at the lessons of the previous two years and look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.
Through a series of workshops, Scholars are exposed to different versions of leadership, and begin to develop their own personal leadership narratives.
4th Year: Leadership as a Lifelong Journey
In their fourth year of programming, Scholars finalize and deliver their personal leadership narratives, which translate their values into action. Rather than serving as the culmination of leadership development, this is a launching point for responding to future leadership challenges.
In parallel, Scholars develop short-term and medium-term goals and receive support with post-university transitions.