Katharina Klassen + Ying Jason Yang
Katharina Klassen and Ying (Jason) Yang are on different academic paths, but both are united in earning UWinnipeg’s prestigious Sir William Stephenson Scholarships for 2015. The two also share a record of achieving academic success and demonstrating extensive community service and volunteerism – on and off campus – which is integral to winning this scholarship.
Katharina Klassen
“I feel most blessed and humbled to be one of the recipients of the Sir William Stephenson Scholarship,” expressed Klassen. “To be associated with this man who had such an impressive array of accomplishments, along with my good friend and co-winner Jason, and past recipients of this award, is an absolute honour. It is also a very positive affirmation of my current and future studies, and of my volunteer work in the school and local community.”
Originally from Alberta, Klassen is in her fourth year at UWinnipeg studying Anthropology and Interdisciplinary Linguistics. She has a keen interest in Celtic languages and cultures, and describes her majors as rich with an eclectic mix of fascinating professors and students. She plans to pursue her doctoral studies next fall in her double major, focusing on language revitalization.
Klassen also contributes greatly to her community by volunteering for a diverse collection of communities. Of those, two are especially prominent for her: Sisters in Belief, which she is the founding member of, and the Oak Table Community Ministry (OTCM) in Osborne Village. Sisters in Belief is a program that connects girls aged 8-13 with positive female role models, a safe space to interact and create healthy friendships, and skills-building workshops. OTCM is a resource centre providing basic amenities to clients who are low-income or homeless; Klassen volunteers there by preparing and serving food.
Ying (Jason) Yang
Yang is currently pursuing both a four-year Bachelor of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Economics. He chose UWinnipeg because he liked the personal attention that professors give to their students. In addition to his high academic achievements, Yang is heavily involved with multiple student associations and volunteer initiatives, including serving as the President of the Golden Key Honour Society UWinnipeg Chapter (UW-GK). This is a unique society that promotes volunteerism and community services on campus. Yang also established a new tutoring service specializing in different business subjects in 2014 after writing a proposal and securing funding for the program. He manages the project including the fundraising, advertising, policy writing, recruiting and training tutors, allocating work hours, and daily administrating.
“It was a great way to put all my business knowledge into action,” explained Yang. “I recruited five tutors specializing in different business subjects for this one-on-one tutoring service that is free to all students, and now the service has been approved to extend to Economics and PACE program.”
The Sir William Stephenson Scholarships were established in 1984 through the Winnipeg Foundation. They are awarded annually to one or two students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, superior leadership qualities and the potential to make a valuable contribution to Canada.
All photos courtesy of UWinnipeg
BACKGROUND: SIR WILLIAM STEPHENSON
Born on January 23, 1897 in Point Douglas, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sir William Samuel Stephenson, CC, MC, DFC was a Canadian soldier, airman, businessperson, inventor, lightweight boxing champion, and spymaster. In 1916 he volunteered for service in the 101st Overseas Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force and in 1917 was granted a commission in the RFC. By the end of World War I he had achieved the rank of Captain and earned the Military Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Croix de Guerre.
Between the wars, he became a wealthy industrialist, involved in the steel industry, the automobile industry, and aviation. He helped develop the Spitfire airplane and patented a way of sending photographs through wireless telegraph. As Director of British Security Coordination in the Western Hemisphere, he was an indispensable asset to the allies during World War II. In 1941, he set up Camp X at Whitby, Ontario, the first spy training school for clandestine wartime operations for the Allies. He became Churchill’s personal representative to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with a mandate from both – from his base in New York City – to get public opinion changed to approve the US entering the War. He later became one of the first directors of public relations for the BBC. Stephenson is best known by his wartime intelligence code name “Intrepid” and has been referred to as “the Godfather of the CIA” whose initial members trained at Camp X. Many people consider him to be the real life inspiration for James Bond, and Ian Fleming, who trained at Camp X, once wrote that “James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is…William Stephenson.”
In 1979, Stephenson received an honorary doctorate degree from The University of Winnipeg before contributing a significant gift to the University for the purpose of establishing the Sir William Stephenson Scholarships. Stephenson passed away in Bermuda in 1989.
