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3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, August 13, 2009 Much hope on being declared the winner Voting for her video could help Iroquois Ridge grad gain university tuition cash By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF If at first you don't succeed, try, and try again. That's what Oakville student Kathryn Ekbatani did and then she Declared Herself -- coming to the attention of MuchMusic. Now, she needs your vote to win her university tuition. Ekbatani, born in Montreal and raised in the GTA, and Oakville since Grade 8, is heading to the University of Western Ontario this fall to study broadcast journalism. Over the summer, as she pondered paying her $20,000 annual tuition and residency fees, she entered a MuchMusic video competition to win just that. Late last week, she was notified her video is among the top eight. So the Ontario Scholar and elite cheerleader, is now armed with a new HP notebook and accessories for placing in the top eight and is vying to win tuition. For the Iroquois Ridge High School graduate, the road to fame and potentially fortune (well enough for her taste this year) began when she entered the The Much & HP: Declare Yourself 2009 Contest. In it, Ekbatani entered a video explaining why she needs to win the grand prize -- the tuition. Now, the contest is going to the public to pick a winner. Voting is open at www.muchmusic/hp -- along with viewing the videos -- until Aug. 31. "I need as many votes as I can get and having my hometown's support would be great," Ekbatani told The Beaver. "I have lived in Oakville for all of high school. My real name is Kathryn Ekbatani, but most know me as Katie," said Ekbatani, who was an honour student throughout high school and was a minister in the executive student council in Grade 12 and cominister of the communications council. Being in front of the camera is not new for Ekbatani. In Grade 7, she went online and secured herself a children's talent agent. Her credits include appearances in a Toronto District School Board safety documentary, YTV's The Adrenaline Project and a Hot Pockets commercial. In high school, Ekbatani directed a one-act play and produced the school's annual 25-minute comedy Christmas Video. "I have always been a tech student and next year I will continue this trend by taking broadcast journalism in a program called Media Theory Production (MTP) at the University of Western Ontario," said Ekbatani. After beginning cheerleading with the CheerForce WolfPack and reaching the national level, Ekbatani is now a member in Mississauga's private, competitive cheerleading gym called PCT Cobras. "I am a flyer, the person who goes up in the air, on the Open Level 6 team. Cheerleading levels run from level one to six, so my team is a very elite team. I also take tumbling lessons at Oakville Gymnastics Club," said Ekbatani. Elite, however, is not how the Oakville youth views her finances. She lives with her mom and brother in Oakville. Her mom, Corina Nikolaidis is a registered nurse who works "This already meant so much to me because I was struggling to find a computer to use in September, and now didn't have to worry anymore about it." Kathryn Ekbatan Kathryn Ekbatani with supportive housing in Peel, at a facility where mental health patients transition from hospital to community living. While at university, Ekbatani said she will be travelling home to Oakville every weekend to stay with her mom and attend her cheerleading sessions. "My family really needs the financial support in order for me to go to school and as soon as I saw the competition I realized that it targeted me because for this scholarship entry I didn't have to write an essay, but instead make a video, which I love doing," said Ekbatani. She took a week off her internship at Print 44 to film the video with the help of her friend Justin Black. Finally she edited more than 15 hours of footage into a four-minute, five-second video that tells viewers, MuchMusic and HP why she deserves to win. "I entered seriously and really was praying for the best results," said the youth. She submitted the video early as she was going camping and didn't want to miss the deadline. A couple of hours later she received an e-mail saying her video was being considered as a finalist video. On Monday, she learned she was a finalist -- she'd won an HP laptop, case, printer, wireless mouse and other HP goodies. "This already meant so much to me because I was struggling to find a computer to use in September, and now didn't have to worry anymore about it. As a top-eight finalist, I now have a chance to win my tuition- up to $10,000 fully paid. I know that this would help out my family so much and that's why I was so serious about pushing for this contest and getting all the support I possibly could. I feel blessed that I have already won a free computer though, and if I don't win my tuition covered, I will be okay with it as I'm sure that the person who takes home the prize needs it in some way, more than I do," said Ekbatani. Still, enthused about her video and confident, and grateful for the skills she learned in high school, including the skills to target an audience, Ekbatani is crossing her fingers. "I need everyone's help I can get to sign on to www.muchmusic.com/hp to vote for my video starting today until Aug. 31. Voters can submit a vote every day and by doing so they are automatically entered into a draw to win themselves the same package that I won -- an HP notebook and accessories." WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? 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