Margaret Ascan from Toronto, Ontario is the 2026 McEuen Scholarship recipient

Margaret Ascan is a graduating student of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Branksome Hall. Born and raised in Toronto, Margaret’s education took an unconventional path when changes in her family’s circumstances led her to relocate abroad. With limited access to affordable schooling, she began taking a range of online courses and embraced every opportunity to expand her knowledge independently. During this time, she read avidly, learned to code, and continued developing her skills as a pianist. Academically, she consistently sought to learn beyond her course requirements, deepening her interests across subjects. Her genuine love of learning helped prepare her to thrive in the rigour of the IB when she returned to Canada.

After receiving a full scholarship to attend Branksome Hall, Margaret immersed herself in all that her new community had to offer. She greatly enjoyed her higher-level mathematics, physics, chemistry, and literature courses. In her two years, she also co-founded a student start-up to redistribute academic resources, joined the choir, and participated in science, mathematics, debating, and history competitions.

Margaret is profoundly grateful to everyone who has supported her journey, including her family, her teachers and mentors, her friends, the Branksome community, and now the McEuen Scholarship Foundation. This fall, she will begin studying physics at the University of St Andrews and hopes to channel her curiosity into an applied research career. She is honoured to receive the McEuen Scholarship and excited for the opportunity to fulfil her dream of living in Europe, learning within a diverse academic community, and pursuing knowledge at the highest level.

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