MEDIA RELEASE — November 21, 2025 — R0137

For Isabelle Hill (BKin ’22, MSc ’24), receiving an award from Brock University was about much more than financial support.

While the monetary boost of the Laura Sabia Entrepreneurial Award had a significant impact, it was the meaning behind the honour that resonated most with the PhD student specializing in Behavioural and Population Health.

Speaking to a room of University leadership and community supporters, Hill shared that the award emphasized others believed in the work she was doing as the co-founder of Healthy Habit Coaches, an organization dedicated to breaking down barriers to a healthier lifestyle. 

“It meant that others saw the potential in what we were building, and it gave me the confidence to bring it to life,” she said. “That kind of belief changes everything — especially as a student.”

Hill was among the guest speakers at Brock University’s Chancellor’s Reception, held Thursday, Nov. 20 in celebration of donor impact on student success.

“I am just one example of what your support makes possible,” she said. “I know I speak for so many students when I say your generosity does more than ease financial pressures; it helps students build the confidence to continue to take their ideas to the next level; it builds community; and it creates opportunities for students to step forward and become the future leaders who shape meaningful change.

Held at Jackson-Triggs Niagara Estate, the evening was hosted by Brock University Chancellor Hilary Pearson, who has invested in the next generation through student awards supporting women entrepreneurs and those pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.

In 2023, Pearson and her husband Michael Sabia made a generous $500,000 gift to the University to create student awards honouring the legacy of Michael’s mother Laura Sabia, a noted Niagara politician, journalist and women’s rights leader. 

During a fireside chat with Brock President and Vice-Chancellor Lesley Rigg, Pearson reflected on the vital role awards play in helping students to reach their full potential.

“Awards can be life-changing for their recipient: removing financial barriers and empowering students from all backgrounds to not only pursue their education, but also thrive in their university experience,” Pearson said. “They can unlock opportunities students may have believed were out of reach and even open their eyes to new possibilities they did not know existed.”

Fourth-year Sport Management student Tina Nguyen knows this all too well.

The first-generation university student is thankful for the doors awards have opened for her, offering relief from financial pressures while she built the future her parents, who immigrated from Vietnam to Canada, always believed she deserved.

 “Student awards have profoundly shaped my journey, allowing me to honour the sacrifices my family has made while giving me the chance to grow into the person they worked so hard for me to become,” Nguyen said. “Student awards have given me the privilege to fully pursue my education and to build a life shaped not by struggle but by possibility.” 

Each donation toward student awards is an investment in a reimagined tomorrow led by inspiring students determined to break through and create change in their professions and communities, said President Rigg.

“One of the greatest privileges in leadership is meeting student award recipients and hearing their stories of gratitude, resilience and success — powerful reminders that these awards often make the critical difference in turning the dream of a university education into a reality,” she said. 

“Brock is grateful for all of its donors, who each contribute to a shared goal: fostering the next generation of changemakers whose curiosity, creativity and courage will lead us to a better future for all.”

Join Brock in creating a stronger Niagara and reimagining a better tomorrow by donating at brocku.ca/donate

For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

*Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483

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