This international exchange award was created by family and friends in 2006 to honour the memory of Perry J. Lao. This award was established at Queen's as this institution meant a great deal to him. Two of Perry's passions were travelling and education.
Perry spent much of his free time travelling across the globe learning about different cultures, going on adventures, taking in spectacular scenery and making many friends along the way. He visited over 40 countries in his 30 years and kept in touch with the friends he made abroad, hosting many of them at his home in Toronto. Perry's passion for travel was infectious as one could only be inspired to travel after listening to his stories and looking at his photos and souvenirs.
Education was of great importance to Perry. Perry graduated from Queen's University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and he graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2002 with a Bachelor of Laws. Perry worked as an Intellectual Property lawyer at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP for several years and subsequently joined the legal department at IBM Canada Ltd. Perry believed in lifelong learning and he would have loved to return to school many times over.
This international exchange award was created to provide financial aid to students participating in an international exchange who share Perry's passions.
