Education Partnerships
Marine Institute of Memorial University
2025-26 Scholarship Recipients
2025-26 Scholarship Recipients
Fry Family Foundation Graduate Student Leadership Award - Logan Reid - MSc in Fisheries Science and Technology (Dorchester, NB)
Vice President’s Fry Family Foundation Excellence in Leadership Award (Undergraduate) - Niamh Mulrooney - Marine Environmental Technology (St. John’s, NL)
Fry Family Foundation Leadership Award (Undergraduate)
Fry Family Foundation Leadership Acknowledgement of Excellence
Vice President’s Fry Family Foundation Excellence in Leadership Award (Undergraduate) - Niamh Mulrooney - Marine Environmental Technology (St. John’s, NL)
Fry Family Foundation Leadership Award (Undergraduate)
- Allison White - Naval Architecture Program (Whitbourne, NL)
- Cara Hodder - Marine Environmental Technology (Lewisporte, NL)
- Samuel Warren - Underwater Vehicles Program (Pasadena, NL)
- Shannon Breen - Marine Environmental Technology (St. John's, NL)
Fry Family Foundation Leadership Acknowledgement of Excellence
- Caleb Connors - Nautical Science (Mount Pearl)
Winter 2026 Scholarship & Awards Presentation
(L-R) Paul Burt, Niamh Mulrooney, Sam Warren, Cara Hodder, Allison White, Logan
Reid, Shannon Breen, Marie Burt
The Winter Scholarship and Awards Presentation was held at Marine Institute in March, 2026. The Fry Family Foundation Leadership Awards celebrate and encourage the development of leadership qualities that can be applied in our communities, at work and in the classroom. Six of these Awards are presented at the Ceremony. These Leadership Awards are a component of the FFF Student Leadership Initiative at Marine Institute and are a reflection of the belief that, “It has been shown that students who began to understand the complexities of leadership at an early stage in their university education were more likely to step forward to take a leadership approach to their own personal and professional development”. Each of these award recipients shared their thoughts on what Leadership means to them. We were delighted that three of this year's recipients had won FFF Leadership Awards two years in a row!.
Graduate Student Leadership Award
Logan Reid is this year's recipient of the prestigious Fry Family Foundation Graduate Leadership Award. This Award is granted to a graduate student who demonstrates outstanding leadership throughout the course of his/her studies, through academic work, professional work placements (if applicable), and community involvement. Logan is a Masters of Science Student in Fisheries Studies and Technology from Dorchester, New Brunswick. Logan believes, "There is no single way to be a great leader. To me, leadership means being the best version of yourself, which then fosters the best in those around us. We often take more time to criticize poor leadership than we do to acknowledge great leadership. I believe this is because effective leadership can take many forms and is not always immediately visible... My intended career path involves working across disciplines and engaging with diverse groups including researchers, decision makers, and stakeholders. As well as those from different countries and backgrounds. Effective leadership in these settings depends on the ability to communicate clearly, listen thoughtfully, and engage constructively with differing perspectives."
Vice President’s Excellence in Leadership Award
Niamh Mulrooney is this year's recipient of the prestigious Vice-President's Fry Family Foundation Excellence in Leadership Award. It is granted to the undergraduate student in the final semester of a three or four year program at MI who has demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout the course of his/her studies. Niamh is a Marine Environmental Student from St. John's NL. She believes, “Leadership is not simply about directing others, but about influencing, aligning, and inspiring collective effort. A good leader listens and executes, but a great leader leads with empathy and awareness. They pay attention not only to tasks, but to people, recognizing when someone needs support, encouragement, or space to grow... Effective leadership in conservation requires respecting local knowledge and understanding that communities may approach stewardship in ways shaped by history, culture, and lived experience. The ability to communicate across cultures and build respectful partnerships is essential to ensuring conservation efforts are both ethical and effective." As President of the Students Union, Niamh delivered the Closing Remarks at this year's Scholarship and Award Ceremony. Read more about Niamh and the 2025-26 Marine Institute awards winter 2026 scholarships, awards and bursaries.
Undergraduate Leadership Awards
The Fry Family Foundation Leadership Awards are granted to up to four undergraduate students who demonstrate outstanding leadership throughout the course of their studies at MI, through academic work, professional work placements (if applicable), and community involvement.
Allison White is a Naval Architecture student who also received this award in 2024-25! She believes, "Being in leadership means being able to be open to new and different ideas that may not be what was the original thought. Being able to learn from mistakes and find ways to work around the failures is a huge part of being a leader. Failures are going to happen all the time and why that failure happens doesn't stick with the person, it is how they learned from it and grew as a person... A quality of leadership I feel is important in naval architecture is being able to learn from mistakes and failures. It isn’t easy to go from doing the work in a classroom to actually doing it for a company who expects no mistakes. A leader will do the work the best they can, see the mistakes made, and ask how to fix it. By doing this, people tend to assume you are showing weakness when it takes more guts to ask what you are doing wrong." Allison is from Whitbourne, NL and she was also the recipient of the Duke Marine Award.
Cara Hodder is a Marine Environmental Technology student. Cara believes, "To me, leadership means using my time, skills, and passions to contribute to my communities, be it the building I reside in, the university I attend or my city as a whole. Leadership isn’t about obtaining a title; it's about upholding a sense of responsibility. It’s about realizing a need and taking the initiative to step forward rather than expecting someone else to do it.... True leadership is not about recognition, but about coming forward to care for others, especially those who need it the most." Cara is from Lewisporte, NL.
Samuel Warren is an Underwater Vehicles Program student from Pasadena, NL. He also received this award in 2024-25! Sam believes, "During my previous work term, many team members were eager to share knowledge gained from years of experience, offer guidance when challenges presented, and provide motivation when morale was low and the work became stressful. These experiences showed me that leadership isn’t defined by job titles, but by the willingness to help, support, and uplift others... Leadership is not solely about results or winning, but about being a positive influence and creating a space where individuals feel supported and empowered to grow." Sam was also the recipient of the Pikalujak Fisheries Limited Partnership Scholarship.
Shannon Breen is a Marine Environmental Technology student from St. John's. She also received this award in 2024-25! Shannon believes that, "Rather than judging weaknesses, good leaders communicate well to understand them, recognizing that what someone sees as a limitation can often become a strength. In a healthy team, no one is defined by their lowest moment, because team members actively mentor and support one another. They step in when someone isn’t at their best, knowing others will do the same for them... During my previous work term in Indonesia, I had the opportunity to work with local fishermen who felt that the work they were doing was needed due to economic necessity and did not necessarily trust those coming in from an outside group. This experience proved to me that effective leadership in marine conservation requires both compassion and innovative problem solving. Compassion allows me to genuinely understand and support the communities I work with, while innovation helps me find solutions that protect the environment and strengthen local livelihoods at the same time." Shannon was also the recipient of the Kjell Henriksen Scholarship, and the Rose Hatfield Healthy Living Award.
Nautical Skills Competition
Once again, FFF were invited to observe Nautical Science, Marine Engineering, and Engineering students as they participated in the 14th Annual Nautical Skills Competition at the Marine Institute. This event challenges students to tackle high-pressure real life scenarios at sea. The Competition is facilitated by Master Mariners of Canada in collaboration with the Marine Institute. It's also a great opportunity for the high school students who are included on the teams and exposed to the competition. This competition is made possible through many volunteers, including some amazing FFF Alumni. Events like this help bridge the gap between classroom learning and the realities of a career at sea, preparing students for the challenges ahead.
Leadership Acknowledgement of Excellence - Nautical Skills Competition
(L-R) Captain Ahamad Zaki and Caleb Connors
The Fry Family Foundation Leadership Acknowledgement of Excellence Award is presented at the annual Nautical Skills Competition. Caleb Connors is a final-year Nautical Science student and is this year's recipient of this award. The award recognizes a student who demonstrates outstanding leadership during the competition — communicating clearly with teammates, keeping the group organized and focused, identifying and leveraging individual strengths, and fostering an inclusive and collaborative team environment. During the competition, Caleb exemplified the spirit of this award as he communicated effectively, encouraged participation from all team members, and ensured his group worked cohesively and efficiently to meet each challenge. The award was presented by Captain Ahamad Zaki, a member of the Marine Institute’s first graduating class of Nautical Science and a respected leader in the maritime community, making the presentation especially meaningful.
During his time at the Marine Institute, Caleb completed all of his sea time with Maersk Supply Services (now DOF Shipowning Canada), working offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. A graduate of O’Donel High School in Mount Pearl, Caleb has consistently demonstrated professionalism, maturity, and strong leadership qualities throughout his time in the Nautical Science program.
During his time at the Marine Institute, Caleb completed all of his sea time with Maersk Supply Services (now DOF Shipowning Canada), working offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. A graduate of O’Donel High School in Mount Pearl, Caleb has consistently demonstrated professionalism, maturity, and strong leadership qualities throughout his time in the Nautical Science program.