The Foundation for Athletic Excellence awarded a total of $35,000 in individual bursaries to 22 of Quebec’s most promising high school, college and university level football players through its Montreal Alouettes Bursary Program, presented by RDS. Patrick Boivin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Montreal Alouettes, and Marie-Ève Bergeron, Head of Community Investment for Quebec at Bell Media, presented the bursaries with pride and optimism.
“For over 20 years, the Alouettes have promoted school perseverance and fought against school dropouts across Quebec,” said Mr. Boivin. “Thanks to this partnership with FAEQ, which we are very proud of, many young football players have been recognized for their achievements in their studies as well as for their performances on the field. Their success demonstrates that it is possible to combine academic excellence and high-level sports.”
The ceremony took place at McGill University’s Douglas Hall just before the Alouettes‘ game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Six types of bursaries were awarded: four Academic Excellence bursaries to reward outstanding scholastic achievement, 11 Academic and Athletic Support bursaries to promote a balance between football and academic pursuits, three Leadership bursaries to recognize community involvement, one Perseverance bursary to commend an exemplary attitude in the face of difficult circumstances, two College Recruitment bursaries for student-athletes who have completed high school and will be pursuing their academic and athletic careers at Cegep, and one University Recruitment bursary for a student who has completed Cegep and will be pursuing his academic and athletic career at a Quebec university. All the recipients were invited to stay and watch the game.
The Montreal Alouettes Bursary Program, which is officially presented by RDS, is managed by the FAEQ and Football Québec, represented respectively by Jonathan Collin and Bob Mironowicz, in partnership with the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), whose president is Gustave Roël.
The 22 Recipients of the Montreal Alouettes Bursary Program (sharing a total of $35,000)
| Name | Age | Amount | * | City | School and team in 2018 |
| Adam Auclair | 22 | $1,500 | S | Notre-Dame-des-Pins | Université Laval, Rouge et Or (Red and Gold) |
| Régis Cibasu | 24 | $1,500 | S | Laval | HEC Montréal, Carabins |
| Christopher Cléroux | 16 | $1,000 | CR | Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Géants |
| Antoine Couture | 18 | $1,000 | S | Montreal (Ahuntsic – Cartierville) | Collège André-Grasset, Phénix |
| William Desgagnés | 18 | $1,000 | S | Saguenay (Jonquière) | Collège Champlain-Lennoxville, Cougars |
| Arnaud Desjardins | 18 | $1,000 | EX | Montreal (Ahuntsic-Cartierville) | Cégep du Vieux Montréal, Spartiates |
| Fabrice Hennekens | 17 | $1,000 | EX | Saint-Lambert | Collège Charles-Lemoyne, Dynamiques |
| Bruno Lagacé | 20 | $10,000 | UR | Montreal (Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce) | Université de Montréal, Carabins |
| Jérémie-Billal Lardi | 24 | $1,500 | L | Baie-Comeau | Université de Sherbrooke, Vert et Or (Green and Gold) |
| Samuel Leduc | 16 | $1,000 | EX | Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue | Collège Sainte-Anne (Lachine), Dragons |
| Alexandre Masri Fliss | 17 | $1,000 | CR | Quebec City (Sainte-Foy) | Notre-Dame-de-Foy Campus, Notre-Dame |
| Kevin Mitale | 19 | $1,000 | S | Longueuil (Saint-Hubert) | Collège André-Grasset, Phénix |
| Louis-Mathieu Normandin | 23 | $1,500 | EX | Montreal (Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame-de-Grâce) | HEC Montréal, Carabins |
| Khadeem Pierre | 21 | $1,500 | S | Ottawa | Concordia University, Stingers |
| Tommy Roadley Trohatos | 21 | $1,500 | S | Varennes | Université de Sherbrooke, Vert et Or (Green and Gold) |
| Marc Rondeau | 16 | $1,000 | S | Quebec City | Collège Saint-Jean-Eudes, Condors |
| Gabriel Royer | 18 | $1,000 | L | Lawrenceville | Cégep de Sherbrooke, Volontaires |
| Jérémy Sauvageau | 22 | $1,500 | S | Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures | McGill University, Redmen |
| Lukas Schuster | 24 | $1,500 | S | Regina, Saskatchewan | Bishop’s University, Gaiters |
| François Smith | 16 | $1,000 | L | Napierville | École de la Magdeleine, La Milice |
| Xavier Tremblay | 16 | $1,000 | S | Laval | École Curé-Antoine-Labelle, Loups |
| Zachari Zon | 16 | $1,000 | P | Montreal (Ahuntsic – Cartierville) | Collège Mont-Saint-Louis, Kodiaks |
| *EX: Academic Excellence / S: Academic and Athletic Support / L: Leadership / P: Perseverance / CR: College Recruitment / UR: University Recruitment | |||||
