OMDREB Celebrates 2025 Annual Scholarship Winners
June 24, 2025
The Oakville, Milton and District Real Estate Board’s (OMDREB) Scholarship Awards Ceremony recognizes the talented students and winners of our annual scholarship program. This year’s virtual Awards Ceremony was held the afternoon of Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Watch the recap below:
This year, OMDREB’s Annual Scholarship focus reflected our 2025 President’s Charity, Lighthouse for Grieving Children and Families. For over 25 years, Lighthouse has been offering peer support groups to grieving children and youth 3-24 years, from Halton, Hamilton, Peel, and beyond. Groups are available in-person or online, and they are open-ended, so families can stay with the Lighthouse community for as long as they need, to actively explore their grief in their own time. Lighthouse receives no government funding and relies on the generosity of our communities to ensure our services remain free to families who need them.
Our essay submissions from students were creative, thought provoking, and well-researched! In alphabetical order, the winners of the 2025 OMDREB Scholarship Awards are:
Stella Carr from Oakville, graduating from Oakville Trafalgar High School
Stella is a thoughtful and driven individual who brings care and intention to everything she does. Her ability to reflect deeply on personal experiences and use them to help others is something that sets her apart from her peers.
A notable quote from Stella’s essay was, “There’s something powerful in being seen during grief. It makes you feel less alone, less lost. That’s why I think services like Lighthouse for Grieving Children truly matter. Lighthouse gives kids and teens a place to talk, cry, and just be without needing to ‘fix’ anything. I think that’s critically important in the grieving process”
Eren Hadzhalaran from Oakville, graduating from Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School
Eren is a dependable, mature young man and a responsible and organized student who makes significant and valuable contributions to every learning environment. He also works hard to be available for others, and offers patience and respect for his fellow peers.
A notable quote from Eren’s essay was, “Picture the last time you went for a walk – what do you see? The sidewalk, the trees, people walking by. We may make eye contact, perhaps exchange a nod or a light smile, but what does that smile really mean beneath the surface? When someone passes by, you don’t tend to think about what they are feeling inside, especially if they are not outwardly displaying anything. A person experiencing grief will often try to hide it from others, however, a strong first step in the healing process of grief is by not locking it away.”
Tatiana Lassos from Oakville, graduating from T.A. Blakelock High School
The time and effort Tatiana devotes to everything she does reflects her maturity and remarkable character. Her compassion and commitment to supporting others’ well-being are rare qualities in someone her age, and aims to bring this same dedication and kindness to all of her future endeavours.
A notable quote from Tatiana’s essay was, “Home isn’t a thing to me, but a person. My home is my mom. She is who helps me make my most wonderful memories, and saves me when I start drowning under the weight of my emotions. I now know that the house you buy isn’t about what’s inside, but who you fill it with.”
Gabriela Luna from Oakville, graduating from Garth Webb Secondary School
Gabriela is a remarkable student and community leader, who demonstrates incredible work ethic, analytical ability, and creative thinking. She approaches everything she does with diligence and thoughtfulness, seeks to apply unique perspectives wherever she can, and acts with compassion and authenticity.
A notable quote from Gabriela’s essay was, “Home is something we can carry with us and even create for ourselves, no matter where we are. It can be shaped by the people we love, the objects we cherish, and the environment that surrounds us. Whether it’s a childhood bedroom, a new apartment, or simply being with the right people, home is where we feel most like ourselves. And that feeling, a sense of comfort and belonging, is what truly defines home.”
Mya Tatem from Oakville, graduating from White Oaks Secondary School
Mya carries herself with determination and integrity, and always seeks a genuine desire to grow. She holds a positive and inclusive attitude, and her drive to succeed leaves a lasting impression with educators. Mya makes contributions to her community through involvement, integrity, improvement, and inclusion.
A notable quote from Mya’s essay was, “Hypothetically, if one wished to build a community from scratch, they would need to begin with humans, and a place for those humans to live. It follows that, as two of the primary aspects on which an entire community rests, human relationships and housing are fundamentally inter-dependent. Naturally, connections are formed within a household, and wider connections are developed through neighbourhood networks. In the same way, housing development projects come out of necessity to hold, or to better hold, an established physical community; but these would remain empty without human relationships that fill them. So, as we consider the human need for housing, we must also consider the human need for human connection.”
Thank you to our panel of judges for their time and effort in determining the winners:
- Ken Mazurek, 2025 OMDREB President
- Jason Dockeray, Executive Director of Lighthouse For Grieving Children and Families
- Yiin Shayegan, OMDREB Director and the Chair of OMDREB’s YPN Committee
- Laura Pipes, OMDREB’s Manager of Operations and Administration
We also wish to thank Mayor Rob Burton of Oakville for joining us and celebrating our winners!
To our award winners, we wish you the best of luck in your future academic endeavours.
