Inaugural Recipient of the $25,000 Edward Sonshine Scholarship Announced
Robin Creighton (MREI ’22) is the inaugural recipient of Schulich’s newly established Edward Sonshine Scholarship.
The Edward Sonshine Scholarship is offered to an entering Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure (MREI) student at Schulich who demonstrates the highest academic standing and strong evidence of leadership ability and commitment to the real estate sector. The recipient of the award receives $25,000 in scholarship funds and is guaranteed an interview for a RioCan MREI Internship. Sonshine is the Founder and Non-Executive Chair of RioCan and a legendary figure in the Canadian real estate industry.
“To receive this incredibly generous financial award in honour of Mr. Sonshine, the leading visionary and major architect in establishing the REIT industry in Canada, is both humbling and highly inspirational,” said Creighton. “The Edward Sonshine Scholarship will help me tremendously as I pursue my passion and aspiration of becoming a leader within the commercial/residential real estate sector.”
As one of the largest real estate investment trusts in Canada, RioCan invests generously in the communities where it does business. The company has a longstanding relationship with Schulich and the RioCan investment, development and asset management teams include a number of Schulich graduates.
“We are grateful for the continued support from RioCan in helping us attract top talent and develop future leaders in the real estate industry,” said Jim Clayton, Director of the Brookfield Centre of Real Estate and Infrastructure and MREI Program Director. “It is an honour to have the award named after Canadian icon Ed Sonshine.”
The creation of the Scholarship and the inaugural recipient were formally announced at a special guest lecture with Edward Sonshine and Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO of RioCan, on February 9th.