In memory of Jacob Hillerby (June 22, 2016 - June 21, 2017)

Jacob Hillerby was born in June 2016, minutes after the birth of his twin sister, Robin. In his first year of life, Jake was fascinated with switches and gears. He gravitated towards these types of toys and would play with them for hours. He showed a focused determination to figure out how different objects worked. Family and friends would say that Jacob was going to be an engineer one day, just like his father and grandfather.

In the spring of 2017, Jake suddenly developed a serious illness. He died on June 21, 2017, one day before his first birthday.

His family was supported through this devastating loss by a network of compassion. They were astonished when a GoFundMe campaign, begun by a family friend, provided enough financial support that Jake’s mother and father could take time off of work to grieve and be with Jake’s twin sister.

In this spirit of community support, and building on Jake’s love of figuring out how things work, Jake’s family founded the Jacob Hillerby Bursary to support engineering students struggling with financial need. With rising tuition, many students struggle to pay their bills and feel weighed down by debt. A financial award lightens their load so they can focus on their education. 

The Jacob Hillerby Bursary was founded at Renison University College, home to approximately 60 engineering students each year. Renison is affiliated with the University of Waterloo, home to one of the top engineering programs in Canada. With Jake’s mother as an alumnus, and two adoring cousins in town, Jake may well have chosen Waterloo for his education. Renison, with its welcoming environment and a family presence from his aunt, who is a faculty member there, could have been his home away from home. 

During his brief life, Jake made his little corner of the world a better place. If he could have grown up, he would have made a better place of a much bigger corner of the world. This award will help enable a generation of engineers to make the world a better place in his stead.

If you have questions about this, or any of our funds, please contact Cort Egan, Director of External Relations and Communications.