NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam is teaming up with the University of New Brunswick’s McKenna Institute to offer a new scholarship to incoming students from Siakam’s home-country of Cameroon.
Siakam, the McKenna, Institute, and the River Philip Foundation are putting $200,000 towards the tech-focused scholarship, with each recipient getting $8,000.
The Toronto Raptors forward says he’s dedicating the scholarship to the memory of his late father, Tchamo Siakam.
“My dad told me that — as a player — an injury can end your career before it even starts, but the one thing no one can take away from you is your education,” said Siakam in a press release.
Former Premiere of New Brunswick, Frank McKenna, who is the benefactor and namesake of the McKenna Institute, says fitting that a university on the front doorstep Canada will help welcome future leaders from Cameroon and empower them to succeed.
“As a player on Canada’s NBA Team, it’s a real privilege to do my part to join with UNB to welcome students from the country where I was born, into the country I call home,” said Siakam in a press release.