2018 Award Recipient
We are pleased to share the news that Mr. Dejo Oyelese has been selected as the recipient of the 2018/19 Debian Information Technology Inc., Esther K.Y. Chan Memorial Scholarship at SAIT!
Dejo is completing his final year of SAIT’s Information Technology program and has been recognized for his academic achievements throughout the academic year.
“We are truly honored to be able to recognize Dejo’s achievements and are proud to have him as the selected recipient of the Debian IT, Esther K.Y. Chan Memorial Scholarship this year!” said Vincent Fung, Managing Director & CEO, of Debian Information Technology Inc., “Helping the future generation of IT professionals through our financial awards initiatives, practicum programs, and internship experiences are some of the ways that Debian IT gives back to our community and how we ensure that the philanthropic legacy of Esther K.Y. Chan lives on.”
Scholarship Award Background
When we reflect back upon our lives, we can all pinpoint turning points that changed the course of our lives forever. Some of these may have been choices we made, but more often than not, these turning points are the result of outside influences, people in our lives, that made a lasting impact.
For my brother, Ritchie, and I, a major turning point came before we were even born. My Aunt Esther had sponsored our parents to immigrate to Canada. Determined not to raise their family in Hong Kong, where my father had just faced the loss of his business and a massive real-estate crash, they hopped onto a plane and moved to Canada, a country where they could barely speak the language.
Aunt Esther was the ultimate example of a selfless philanthropist who devoted her life to helping others, sponsoring dozens of families to Canada and helping them establish their roots here and spawning generations of successful Canadians, including doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs.
In 1983, Aunt Esther gave our family a gift that would again change the course of our lives forever. For Christmas that year, she gave us a Commodore 64. Our first computer. Something that our family would not have been able to afford on our own.
It was love at first sight with that computer. I would spend days and nights pounding away at the keyboard, learning everything I could about it, coming up with ways to make it do things, and letting my imagination wander. This was the spark that ignited my passion for how technology impacts our lives and ultimately how it impacts the businesses that we help to succeed.
Aunt Esther continued to impact and influence us over the years in her little ways that propelled the lives of Ritchie and me to where we are today. She passed away suddenly in 1999 when Debian IT was still in its infancy, having operated for only 3 years at the time. While this was a devastating loss at the time, her influences continued to drive our success over the years.
About the Debian IT, Esther K.Y. Chan Memorial Scholarship at SAIT
We’re proud to honor the legacy that ignited our success to continue the work she did to help others succeed. The Debian IT, Esther K.Y. Chan Memorial Scholarship, an award of $5,000.00, is largest single value scholarship at SAIT’s School of Information and Communication Technologies.
This scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement, financial need, and the demonstrated ability to apply academic content to real-world scenarios. Preference is given to students who demonstrate a strong entrepreneurial spirit, collaboration, and team leadership skills.
About Debian Information Technology Inc.
Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, and founded in 1996 with the vision to deliver exceptional IT services and support to the small and medium business sector, Debian Information Technology Inc. has provided quality IT management and business consulting services for over two decades.
Debian IT is a world class, award winning IT Managed Services Provider, named one of Canada's Top 50 Best Managed IT Companies for two years in a row, and ranked as one of the Top 501 I.T. Managed Services Providers in the world.
With locations across Canada, and IT partners in Europe, South America, and across the USA, Debian IT is able to meet its clients’ needs anywhere, anytime.
If you're ready to make the switch to a team that truly cares about the success of your business, makes technology work seamlessly for your organization, and makes it incredibly easy for you to forget about the challenges of making technology work for you, Debian IT is ready to work with you!
For more information about Debian IT, visit: www.debianIT.com
