Ecole Polytechnique has honoured a young female engineering student from Manitoba just days before the 28th anniversary of the 1989 massacre that claimed 14 lives.
University of Manitoba graduate Ella Thomson received the Order of the White Rose in a ceremony in Montreal today.
She received a $30,000 scholarship as well as a necklace and 14 white roses in memory of the young women who were killed on Dec. 6, 1989.
The award was created in 2014 and is presented annually to a female student who wants to continue her studies in engineering.
Thomson, 21, said learning about the massacre was a powerful reminder of the violence women in non-traditional fields have faced.
The Winnipeg native is now studying for a PhD at Stanford University in California, where she hopes to mentor young girls who want to enter the technical fields.