Meet our 2017 BDP Scholar: Jonathan Kikuchi

As an involved member of his community, Jonathan Kikuchi has always been part of the action.

Throughout his undergraduate degree, Jonathan chose to pursue opportunities to grow as a leader and a member of the community. As a result of this involvement, Jonathan was awarded the Faculty of Law’s Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP Entrance Scholarship. With a value of $60,000 over three years, this is the largest scholarship of its kind in Canada and is awarded based on academic merit and community leadership.

While working towards his Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from the University of Alberta, from which he graduated with distinction, Jonathan supplemented his academics by working in field placements and summer positions in social housing and law enforcement. Through these positions, Jonathan gained insight into how higher-level policies can have an enormous impact on over everyday actions. When considering how these experiences influenced his decision to pursue law, Jonathan recognizes that “working for these organizations helped spark my interest in pursuing law as a medium through which to influence policy development.”

Jonathan’s interest in being an active participant in decision-making can also be reflected through his role as a Junior A and Midget AAA hockey referee. As a seasoned referee with nine years’ experience, making split-second decisions in high-pressure situations on contentious issues is something with which Jonathan is quite comfortable. Although Jonathan used to play competitively, he is looking forward to playing with the law intramural hockey team, the “Ambulance Chasers.”

Another way in which Jonathan has been a leader in his community is through the Heart of the City Music Program in Edmonton. Having earned his Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) Diploma in piano performance, Jonathan is passionate about music and participated as a volunteer for the program teaching piano to inner city elementary students. In his final year of university, Jonathan gave back to the organization in a leadership role as the Community Outreach Director and Performance Troupe Coordinator.

Jonathan chose to pursue his legal education at the University of Calgary because he was interested in the forward-thinking focus of the school. Drawing from his past experiences, which had significant practical components, he was looking for a legal educational experience that also involved an experiential component. The Calgary Curriculum encompasses this practical aspect as a complement to theoretical learning by giving students early opportunities to engage with real-world legal problems and practices.

As a dedicated student with the motivation to pursue extra-curricular activities beyond the black letter law, Jonathan is sure to find success at the University of Calgary.