Let me tell you about my dad.
He grew up in a farming village in China. Not a small town. A farming village. The kind of place where everybody knows what everybody else is doing, and where the future mostly looks a lot like the past. He didn't have money. He didn't have connections. What he had were teachers who saw something in him.
And those teachers did what great teachers do. They didn't just teach him his lessons. They made a path for him. They got him out of that village and into one of the best universities in China, where he studied physics.
That changed everything for him. Not just his job. His whole life. And it gave him a belief that I have carried around ever since: ambition should never be limited by circumstance. I know that sounds like a nice thing to put on a wall. For him, it was just true.
So here is what we are doing. We have started a scholarship in his name, the Y.H. Li Scholarship. It is for students who have the ability and the drive, and for whom money is the thing standing in the way. I mentor recipients myself, at no cost to their families.
What it covers
1. Full program coverage. The complete 1-on-1 mentorship program: strategic planning, application development, and interview preparation, at no cost to the family.
2. Application fees. The cost of applying to universities in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
3. Summer program travel. Travel expenses for recipients admitted to selective summer programs.
A small number of scholarships are awarded each year, and applications are evaluated on a rolling basis.
Who it is for
1. Students currently entering or enrolled in Grades 10 through 11.
2. Strong academic standing through one of three paths: average marks of 95% or higher across academic courses; enrollment in AP courses, or completion of AP courses and exams with a score of 4 or higher; or an IB predicted score above 40/42.
3. Academic engagement beyond the classroom: independent projects, academic competitions, specialized summer programs, or similar work.
4. Sustained involvement in extracurricular activities, athletics, or the arts.
5. Demonstrated financial need: household income typically below $100,000 CAD, verified through family tax documents such as CRA Notices of Assessment.
6. Students who will apply for financial aid at the universities they apply to.
7. Students who will apply to universities in the United States and the United Kingdom in addition to Canadian universities.
What I look for
Intellectual agility. Students who pursue knowledge through research and inquiry.
Community impact. Students who have moved beyond personal achievement to leave a footprint in their communities.
Growth mindset. Students who treat disruption and challenge as the raw material for their own development.
Commitment to mentorship. A minimum commitment to a 12-month or multi-year partnership, depending on the student's grade level.
How to apply
1. Preliminary submission. Send the student's most recent transcript and a brief summary of extracurricular achievements to hello@brickstostone.com. We conduct an initial evaluation to confirm alignment with our academic standards.
2. Formal application. Candidates who pass the initial review are invited to complete the formal application, including family tax documents to verify financial need and essay prompts designed to reveal the student's voice, agency, and intellectual curiosity.
3. The interview. Finalists are invited to a 20-minute virtual interview, a conversational deep dive into the student's goals and readiness for a high-touch mentorship model.
4. Final decision. The Selection Committee issues a formal decision within two weeks of the interview.
If you know a kid like this, and you might, because they do not always raise their hands, send us a note. We would love to hear from them.
That is really all there is to it. A kid, a teacher who believed in him, and a door that opened. We are just trying to hold that door open for a few more kids.
Full details are on the scholarships page: https://www.brickstostone.com/scholarships