For the sixth year, and the seventh time, Mark’s Ride has awarded a scholarship to a local law student in memory of Mark Reid.
Reid was a local lawyer who was passionate about both his career and the outdoors. Shortly after his death in 2015, family and friends organized an annual group ride through Algonquin Park to celebrate his life and raise funds to help a local student with their law studies. They awarded two scholarships in 2016, and have continued to award a scholarship every year since.
After three years, the group ride transitioned to an annual outdoor concert. Although gatherings have not been possible due to the pandemic, Mark’s Ride has continued to fundraise and award scholarships to deserving Muskoka-based students.
Reid loved to represent the underdog in his cases, particularly when that underdog was a worthy cause–he wanted his work to help others.
It’s a commitment that resonated with this year’s scholarship recipient, Darby Heino, who received a $4,000 award on Sept. 1.
Heino has “considered myself an underdog my whole life,” she wrote in her application.
“In my initial attempt at law school admissions in 2019, I scored below the average on the LSAT and was rejected from every Ontario law school I had applied to. After graduating undergrad from the University of Toronto, I took a year off to work at the United Nations Refugee Agency and restudy for the LSAT. My year off of school gave me a whole new perspective on grit, determination, and most importantly, reassured me I was worthy and capable of getting into law school,” she added.
In 2020, she was accepted to the Windsor Law Dual JD program in which students work toward an American and Canadian law degree.
Thanks to the pandemic, “I spent the year away from classmates, studying for 12-15 hours a day, and trying my best to prove I was meant to not only be in law school, but also capable of thriving there,” she wrote. She finished her first year with an A- (80 per cent) average, was elected class president, volunteered with Community Legal Aid Clinic and Pro Bono Students Canada, and in late June 2021 was accepted as a transfer student to Osgoode Hall Law.
This past summer she worked at Barriston Law in Bracebridge.
Heino’s dad and sister, and two golden retrievers, were with her when she received the award from the Mark’s Ride committee.
Learn more about Mark’s Ride at marksride.ca.
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