Canadian Morehead-Cain Scholar Raymond Tu ’21 has received the McCall MacBain Scholarship as part of its inaugural class of scholars and as the only student selected from an American college or university.

The Guelph, Ontario, native and 19 other students will pursue a funded master’s or professional degree this fall at McGill University.

The flagship scholarship selected its 2021 cohort on the basis of “entrepreneurial spirit, breadth and depth of interests, problem-solving ability, willingness to take meaningful risks, and exceptional character,” according to the program’s website.

Raymond said he plans to study with the McGill Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences the human health effects of exposure to heavy metals. He hopes to inform the regulation of toxic chemicals in the environment, particularly among marginalized communities.

“I’m honoured to be a part of this caring and passionate group of people,” said Raymond, a former Campus Y co-president.

He described his selection to the inaugural cohort as “nerve-racking,” but said he’s resolved to “lean into the unknown.”

“I had no idea what coming to Carolina would entail, and all I can say now is that I’ve loved and learned so much from the incredible communities in Chapel Hill,” the scholar said.

Raymond will graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this spring with a degree in environmental health sciences and minors in chemistry and biology. The scholar is an undergraduate research assistant in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, an undergraduate teaching assistant in the UNC-Chapel Hill Chemistry Department, and a research intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

More about the McCall MacBain Scholarship

The McCall MacBain Scholarship provides students with opportunities for mentorship, interdisciplinary learning, and networking within a community of leaders. Scholars also participate in summer retreats, leadership development seminars, and other forms of workshops and events.

Based in Montreal, McGill University offers more than 400 graduate programs administered through 80 academic departments. Philanthropists John and Marcy McCall MacBain, co-founders of the McCall MacBain Foundation, established the scholarship in 2019 through a $200 million gift to the university, the largest single gift in Canadian history.