For 25 years, Dr. Jane Thompson has had a front-row seat to a spectacular, mostly-unseen truth: the next generation is already rising to meet the future with grit, grace, and genius. In a world that often insists the kids are not alright…well, she’s here to tell you otherwise.

Each year, Jane Thompson and her team at a major Canadian bank sift through over 3,000 jaw-dropping applications from graduating high schoolers. The mission? To award 20 full-ride college scholarships—with a twist. 

A River of Rising Stars: A View From the Front Row of the Future

These aren’t your standard merit awards that Dr. Jane Thompson and her team are giving away: They’re aimed squarely at young people who are already stepping up to solve real problems in their communities; kids who see a need and say, “Why not me?”

And Jane? She’s been walking shoulder to shoulder with them for over two decades, through the whole journey.

“It’s not just 20 kids we should be celebrating,” she told me. “It’s the thousands who apply—kids that teachers and principals write glowing letters for, saying things like, ‘This is the best student I’ve seen in my 30-year career.’ And that student still might not even make it to the interview round.”

Let that sink in.

This is not a story about the handful who “make it.” It’s about the tidal wave of talent and integrity quietly moving through our communities. And Jane calls it exactly that: “I’m not standing in a trickle,” she says. “I’m standing in a river.”

Not Just Money—Momentum

Of course, the scholarship money helps. (In fact, if you think this is just a warm-and-fuzzy initiative, you’ll be tickled to know that research shows the ROI of a 4-year degree often exceeds a million dollars in lifetime income. That’s a 10x return for these scholarship dollars.)

The real value isn’t in the cash, though: It’s the momentum that kicks in when a young person is seen and supported in a way they’ve never experienced before.

“It’s not just the money,” Jane emphasizes. “It’s the validation. It’s the mentorship. It’s the connections they build with each other—across provinces, cultures, and economic divides. Once they’re in the program, they begin to build networks that mirror the very best kind of society: one full of opportunity, diversity, and support.”

The bank covers tuition and gives each student a cash stipend, plus access to paid summer work and a growing community of alumni—and what happens next is a masterclass in the ripple effect.

Stories That Stick With You

There are now hundreds of stories of these flexible scholarships working in ways most scholarships wouldn’t even think to cover. Like the student who used her stipend—meant to cover dorm costs—to move her entire family out of unsafe housing. That one check didn’t just open her future; it stabilized her present (and her family’s, too.)

Or the young man who, while still in med school, designed a cultural sensitivity training for healthcare providers based on his own lived experience. By the time he was a practicing physician, he had already launched a COVID vaccine initiative that reached hesitant communities and achieved an 84% vaccination rate—through conversations, not lectures.

Then there’s the alumna who started a tech company that brought digital health tools to women in Senegal, Guinea, and Madagascar. After a decade of that work, she returned to Canada, and now she helps funnel foreign aid to the world’s most innovative grassroots solutions. 

She is doing, in Jane’s words, “exactly what she was built to contribute,” just like so many others who were lucky enough to get this support.

Helping Despite the Odds

Not all of these stories begin with opportunity. Many begin with barriers. Dr. Thompson points out that some kids rise, not because of their parents’ constant support, but in spite of a lack of it. 

That’s not to say that all of these parents are actually unsupportive—they’ve just had to have different priorities. Households where survival has been the focus—not ambition—want their kids to find the most stable, least risky paths. Immigrant families also tend to have few connections and limited resources, but some also have sky-high hopes—and this often results in teens shouldering responsibilities far beyond their years. 

Yet, even through all of that and more, kids from every walk of life show up in Jane Thompson’s inbox with stories of change they’ve already started to create.

“We’ve got students who start youth groups, run food drives, even launch nonprofits from their bedrooms,” she said. “The world’s problems don’t intimidate them. They just start.”

This, she says, is the real reason she’s never burned out in her work. “Every year, I meet more problem-solvers. Not one or two. Hundreds.” If these kids can do all of this on top of their regular schoolwork and whatever other responsibilities they have, then she can keep working to support them.

The Power of Belief (And a Bursary Fund)

In our conversation, Dr. Jane Tompson shared one very practical insight that should be shouted from the rooftops: 

If you want to make a direct difference, donate to a university’s emergency bursary fund.

“That’s the fund that helps the kid who got a flat tire and doesn’t have $200 to fix it—so they drop out,” she told me. “That $200 can keep someone on their path.”

She also gave a hearty nod to global programs that fund education for girls and women, calling them “the most powerful lever we have for lasting change.” These programs, wherever they exist, improve health outcomes, lower maternal mortality, raise household incomes, and transform entire communities. “And it works fast,” she added. 

Think about it: Women who are educated even on only their own biology will be more likely to have fewer unintended pregnancies (and more healthy, successful ones when intended.) That alone will free up significant amounts of time and energy in their lives—time and energy they can then use, not only for their families, but for themselves and their communities. 

They’ll be able to dream bigger and go farther—and with even more education available for them through these programs, they absolutely can.

The Big Picture from a Historian’s Chair

As a historian, Jane Thompson has a gift for zooming out, and what she sees is this: 

Yes, democracy has taken some knocks, especially in the last few years. Yes, the news can feel like a parade of despair. 

But across the sweep of centuries, we are making progress. 

Literacy is up; life expectancy is rising; more people are thriving in more corners of the globe than ever before; and in her own daily work, she sees it in the faces of students—students who understand how social justice, climate change, public health, and equity all intertwine. 

“They’re not just seeing problems. They’re seeing systems—and redesigning them.”

The kids who used to fight bullying and campaign for LGBTQ+ rights and advocate for mental health in separate silos now get how much overlap there is between their issues, as well as those faced by every other marginalized group. These kids understand that the very systems that are holding them back can be rearranged to propel them—and all of us—forward. 

How Can We Help?

As we wrapped up, I asked Jane what we—ordinary folks who are trying to live with intention—can do to support this rising tide of changemakers.

Her advice was both solid and easy to follow:

Support a few local kids. Say something kind. Believe out loud with them. And if you’ve got time, talent, or treasure—share it!

You never know when a kind word could buoy a kid’s confidence. You never know when belief, generously given, could be the missing piece in someone’s journey to change the world.

Let’s go be the people who share Dr. Jane Thompson’s story, and help them get there too! Not everyone may be able to offer financial support, but kindness—thankfully—is always free.

• CoG Episode #204: The Art of Growing Bigger Than Your Problems with Dr. Srikumar Rao
• Also check out the work of Raj Chetty, the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the Director of Opportunity Insights, which uses big data to study the science of economic opportunity: how we can give children from all backgrounds better chances of succeeding.

• 0:00 — Introduction & Welcome
• 4:00 — The Scholarship Process: 3000 Applicants for 20 Spots
• 8:00 — Young Changemakers and Generational Optimism
• 11:49 — Scholarships: Impact Beyond Money
• 15:49 — Building National Networks of Leaders
• 28:31 — Break
• 30:45 — The Ripple Effect of Support
• 37:00 — The Power of Belief and Encouragement
• 44:46 — Serial Problem Solvers and Student Stories
• 54:08 — The Bigger Picture: ROI and Historical Perspective
• 1:05:30 — What People Should Know
• 1:12:50 — Closing