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Shan Arora is heading from the University of Toronto Scarborough to U of T Law School with two major awards in his pocket.

 

Arora, who is graduating with an honours bachelor of science degree, a double major in economics and mental health studies and a minor in French, is the recipient of the John Black Aird Scholarship for the top student at all three U of T campuses, as well as a Governor General’s Silver Medal for his standing as one of the university’s most academically outstanding graduates.

 

And he's not the only U of T student to receive a silver medal from the Governor General - Arora shares that honour with University of Toronto Mississauga student Anqi Lu. 

 

For more than 140 years, the Governor General’s Academic Medals have recognized the outstanding scholastic achievements of students in Canada. Awarded to the student graduating with the highest average from a high school, approved college or university program, the medals have been earned by such distinguished Canadians as Pierre Trudeau, Tommy Douglas, Kim Campbell, Robert Bourassa, Robert Stanfield and Gabrielle Roy.

 

Lu, a statistics graduate, also received the Rose Shenin Award as the outstanding female student graduating in a science program at Convocation ceremonies June 5, 2014. And, at an earlier reception, Lu was recognized with four additional awards: Best Student – Honours B.Sc.; Award for Outstanding Performance – Mathematical & Computational Sciences; The Founders Gold Medal; The E.A. Robinson Medal – Sciences.

 

Arora has been busy outside the lecture hall; with Assistant Professor Elizabeth Dhuey, he co-authored a research article for publication, and as president of the Ontario Young Liberals in Oak Ridges-Markham, Arora has been engaged in convincing other young adults that political engagement is important. Yet he still found the time to excel as a scholar during his undergraduate years.

 

“I knew objectively that I’d done well, but I wasn’t expecting to hear that I was first overall,” said Arora, who earned a 4.0 average at UTSC. “When I got the call, my mom was so happy for me, she was crying.”

 

Arora, who chose UTSC over Trinity College four years ago, said the Scarborough campus "was a really good transition from high school, because it’s small, so you do see the same people in the halls. It’s a close-knit community.

 

“Commuting downtown and large classes, plus the difficulty of university material, would have been daunting. It made learning easier, because I had more time and more supports to focus on it.”

 

The larger St. George campus no longer unnerves him – and this fall, he’ll be enrolled there in a joint, three-year program that will yield both a law degree and a master’s degree in economics. And in the meantime, Arora has other activities to keep him busy, working as a teaching assistant for two UTSC economics courses this summer and joining a Governing tribunal that adjudicates academic grievances.