2026 EKO Indigenous Scholar 

“I try to approach people with the most empathy that I can, because I know what it feels like when there's more going on underneath the surface. Sometimes people are simply what they are at face value, but other times they are very complicated. I think it's good to give people the benefit of the doubt when trying to help them or to just be there for them,” says Kenora high-school student Catherine Derouard.

Catherine, a 2026 EKO scholarship recipient, just became a McGill University undergraduate. After a year of foundational science studies, she plans to specialize in neuroscience. This research field will allow her to both satisfy her scientific curiosity, and to develop her already-well-established empathetic approach to supporting people grappling with brain-related conditions.

“I think we’re coming into a lot of a potential in the future of science, where we can understand the brain more and learn how to help people more, especially those with mental health or addiction issues,” she says.

Growing up, Catherine experienced anxiety and depression, and at first didn’t understand what she was feeling or “why everyday things felt so heavy.” She was fortunate to have a supportive family who helped her find both professional carers and a community of people with the capacity to see, hear, and understand her.

“That beginning shaped everything that followed,” she says. “It opened my eyes to the power of support.”

She became a driving force behind a mental health club at her high school, which allowed her to help other kids who struggled with their identity or neurodivergence to feel normal, welcomed, and celebrated. Through this work, she found herself increasingly curious about why so many people struggle in the first place. Why does anxiety negatively affect one person and not another? Why do some people exhibit compulsive or addictive behaviour? And why do some communities have fewer mental health resources, when their need is just as great?

These questions have inspired her to study the brain in all its complexity and variety.

“I love chemistry. Biochemistry in particular really interests me. The chemicals in your brain are the cause of so much of what happens with your body, so much of what people feel, how they think, and what makes them so different,” she says.

Scientific curiosity and an abundance of empathy make Catherine a natural to pursue a research career, and apply whatever neuroscientific knowledge she helps create to improve lives and communities. She says the scholarship from Empowered Kids Ontario provides a valuable boost to her plans.

“McGill definitely gives us a bit of a financial challenge, so having the help really does mean a lot,” Catherine says. “Being chosen to receive this scholarship in particular, though, also gives me a lot of hope. Just knowing that there are people out there who have heard and read about my story and still believe I can accomplish the things I want to do is very encouraging and validating.”

As Catherine embarks on a path toward better understanding the brain, she is building a career where she can put all her curiosity and supportiveness to work on a daily basis.

“I think being a professor would be lovely in the end,” she says. “I think that'd be great.”

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