June 22, 2005
UNB Fredericton News Release: D333
Tina English, Communications and Marketing (506) 453-4793

Lord Beaverbrook Scholarships in Law for the 2005-2006 academic year have been awarded to three first-year law students at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton.

Recipients of the prestigious award are Mark Tonkovich of Acton, Ont.; Tanya Butler of Newport Station, N. S.; and Sarah Drodge of Sydney, N. S.

Lord Beaverbrook Scholarships in Law are awarded to first-year law students who demonstrate qualities necessary to attain distinction in the law profession. Valued at $14,000 each, the scholarships are renewable for two additional years, for a total of $42,000. The chief justice of New Brunswick chairs the scholarship selection committee, which includes representatives of the judiciary, the legal profession and the university.

Mr. Tonkovich was raised in Acton and is a graduate of Bishop Reding Secondary School in Milton. He is currently completing a BA degree in Philosophy as a Dean's Honour Student at the University of Guelph. In addition to working in a variety of part-time and full-time positions throughout his academic career, Mr. Tonkovich has most recently entered the entrepreneurial world as co-creator of a custom software system for database management. He is fluent in three languages, looks forward to traveling abroad, and is particularly interested in international, labour, and business law.

Ms. Butler was raised in Newport Station. She graduated with a BA and MA in English from Acadia University in Wolfville, N, S, and will graduate with a PhD in English from Queen's University in Kingston this fall. Her graduate studies were supported by an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and a SSHRCC Doctoral Fellowship, and her research focuses on regional identity in the work of Cape Breton writer Alistair MacLeod. She has worked and volunteered in a variety of libraries, designed adult computer literacy programs as a part of an Industry Canada initiative, and taught in the department of English at UNBF.

Ms. Drodge was born in St. John's, Nfld., and raised in Sydney. She graduated from Cape Breton University this spring with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree, major in Political Science. She has been an active member of her university community, serving on a variety of committees including CBU's Academic Council, Research Policy Committee, and Tributes (Honorary Degrees) Committee. She also served as president of the Amnesty International and political science student societies of CBU for a period of one year. She is keenly interested in social justice and environmental issues and recently spent a short time volunteering on an environmental conservation project in Honduras. Ms. Drodge hopes to eventually specialize in environmental or international law.

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