SASKATOON - Third year Edwards School of Business student Jacqueline Cook (far right in picture) traveled to Zurich, Switzerland earlier this month thanks in part to sponsorship from the school’s recently established Grandey Leadership Fund.  

Cook attended the second annual One Young World Summit, a conference aimed at young leaders and featuring speakers such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bob Geldof and Jamie Oliver. “This conference truly is global, with representation from over 170 countries,” Cook says. The three day event covered global business, media, world health, interfaith dialogue, global leadership and the environment.

“What emerged from this year’s conference were discussions surrounding food security and energy,” she says. “I think Edwards students should pave the way on leadership. There’s a huge opportunity for the people of Saskatchewan to lead some of these discussions and to get some international exposure.”

Cook says the accountability factor of the summit is what distinguishes it from other international events. “Tangible progress is being made. Rather than congregating to ‘talk,’ we’re seeing quantifiable results. There’s a list of projects on the website that are ongoing and we readdress them every year to make sure they’re really happening.”

Since the summit Cook has developed her own project, in her role as a board member of Care & Share Saskatoon, to begin a program for community youth. “We’re introducing youth to the concentrating factors of yoga and how it channels them to their studies. It’s a challenge for them.”

Edwards Dean Daphne Taras explains why Cook was the first to receive a bursary from the Grandey Leadership Fund. “I'm extremely proud of Jackie's initiative and integrity, and she is exactly the type of student who deserves recognition from the Grandey Leadership Fund,” she says. The initiative was established through the combined $1 million gift to the Edwards School from Gerald and Tina Grandey and the Cameco Corporation.

Cook’s $2,500 bursary was split between the Grandey Leadership Fund and the Hanlon Centre for International Business Studies.  “The Hanlon Centre has been invaluable in recognizing leaders within the college. I’m so pleased to see this collaboration take place,” says Cook. “It is my hope that the Summit will be an excellent opportunity for the Edwards School of Business to showcase some of our top leaders to a global audience for years to come.”