Kochava Pavlov, an undergraduate student at Tel Aviv University (TAU), has always loved learning, but for many years she didn’t believe she would be part of academia because she couldn’t afford it or wasn’t qualified.

Pavlov, 25, grew up in Jerusalem in a challenging family environment. At age 10, social services placed her in Israel’s boarding school system for her safety. At 14, a friend’s family adopted her, providing her with the vital support she needed through her high school years.

“I used to doubt that I would even graduate high school let alone enter university,” she says.

Despite everything, she excelled in high school—particularly in the sciences – worked and volunteered teaching youth and children with special needs.

Because of her academic excellence and social leadership, she was selected as one of 10 TAU students for the 2020-21 Schulich Leader Scholarship program.

Today, Kochava is a second-year mathematics student at TAU with a concentration in computer science. She is grateful to be a Schulich Leader Scholarship recipient that allows her to pursue a degree.

“Winning the Scholarship showed me how much others believe in me and want me to succeed,” says Pavlov. “It reaffirmed my belief in what I can accomplish and is helping me pursue my dream of getting a university degree.”

Every Reason to Give is Good.

People give for myriad of reasons, but the motivating factor for most is knowing that they are making an impact in someone’s life.

This year, TAU Canada aims to impact many lives by raising funds for scholarships to support our next generation of leaders, researchers and innovators. ✨ .