Alumnus Brady Yano nets prestigious national scholarship

Congratulations to our alumnus Brady Yano (BA, Political Science, ’16), who has earned a spot as a 2022 McCall MacBain Scholar at McGill University where he will begin his MA degree in Urban Planning this September.

Brady is currently working as senior advisor to BC’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and had the unique opportunity to travel to Montréal in March, joining aspiring leaders from across Canada in the McCall MacBain Scholarship’s round of final interviews. 

Upon his return to Victoria, Brady received word he had been selected among 20 others as a 2022 McCall MacBain Scholar, chosen from nearly 700 total Canadian applicants in a rigorous seven-month process.

Brady is the second consecutive SFU graduate to earn the McCall MacBain Scholarship. Applied Physics graduate Brendan Cottrell (BASc’20) was selected as an inaugural scholar in April 2021, and is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Geography at McGill.

As a McCall MacBain Scholar, Brady will pursue a fully funded master’s degree at McGill University while connecting with mentors and participating in an intensive leadership development program.

Brady worked in policy and politics for four years after graduating from SFU. He was an outreach manager for a provincial government caucus during the first year of the pandemic and spearheaded a new direct mail campaign connecting constituents with their elected representatives. He also served as regional representative on the provincial government executive in BC and is a board member of CityStudio, Vancouver.

He says his experiences serving as vice-president of the student union while at SFU gave him many opportunities to grow and nurture his leadership skills.

“By putting my name forward for student government, I was introduced to incredible people, difficult policy challenges, and a platform to help students,” said Brady. “This applied learning brought my coursework in political science to life and helped me develop the critical leadership skills required to tackle problems in our communities.”

“I’m excited to learn new approaches to addressing issues as an urban planner,” he continues. “This is an opportunity to take my leadership skills to the next level by learning from colleagues from all disciplines and explore how we can collectively solve 21^st century problems.”

More about the McCall McBain Scholars program

The result of a historic $200-million gift to McGill University, these scholarships enable students to pursue a fully funded master’s or professional degree at McGill University while connecting with mentors and participating in an intensive leadership development program.

Mentors for the first cohort include pediatric emergency physician Joanne Liu, urban design advocate Ken Greenberg, and Nova Scotia supreme court judge Diane Rowe.

Information sessions for the first global cohort of McCall MacBain Scholars are currently underway, and applications will open in June.