A new scholarship honouring the life of a student who lost his life in a crash last fall is under development at King’s University College.
Emil Pietruszewski, 21, was studying at King’s hoping to pursue a future career in forensic psychology.
On Oct. 29, 2019, Pietriszewski was struck and killed in a multi-vehicle collision in Lucan.
According to investigators, Pietruszewski was turning left into a private driveway around 1 p.m. when his minivan was struck by an eastbound sedan, forcing the minivan into the westbound lanes, where it was then hit by a commercial truck.
After such a tragic event, King’s University College professor Kristin Lozanski, who taught Pietruszewski at one point, told Global News it was important to create an award after his name.
“Emil was a really gentle soul and he was really committed to helping other people and he demonstrated that on campus and off campus,” Lozanski said.
“He touched almost everyone he came in contact with and we really miss him.”
Amidst creating the scholarship, Lozanski said she proposed the idea to Pietruszewski’s mother.
“I had come to know his mom a little bit after his death. It struck me that the only way we could commemorate Emil was to set up a scholarship in his name and when I proposed the idea to his mother, she was very responsive.”
Fundraising for the award has already gotten underway. According to Lozanski, Pietruszewski’s parents, faculty and alumni have made generous donations.
“It’s relatively early on in the campaign and we already have support. That said, he was a tremendous student and asset so we would like to do the most we can with this award.”
Scholarship details have not been fine-tuned just yet, but Lozanski says once the fundraising is completed, they will start to develop criteria for the student who will be the recipient of the award.
For anyone interested in donating, King’s University College has set up a fundraising website for the scholarship.
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