St. Peter CSS student receives 2025 Steve Montador Bursary
June 12, 2025
Helping Others Participate Equally (H.O.P.E.) and the Greater Peterborough Health Services Foundation (GPHSF) have announced St. Peter Catholic Secondary School Grade 12 student Lara Cottam as this year’s recipient of the Steve Montador Bursary.
“I was incredibly excited and honoured to be recognized as a leader in the community,” Lara said. “When I got home, I shared the news with my family and we celebrated the achievement together.”
The H.O.P.E. Bursary in honour of Steve Montador was established to support students transitioning from secondary school to college or university that are suffering from the long-term effects of a sports-related concussion and require a reduced academic course load as a result of their injury.
“Over the last five years, I have suffered three concussions that have significantly shaped my life,” Lara said. “At first, I thought that I had recovered well, but when Covid moved school online, my symptoms returned—headaches, light sensitivity, and overwhelming fatigue. The significant increase in screen time made everything worse and I began avoiding triggers like exercise, bright lights and reading. Life became about coping with my symptoms.”
Lara also sustained concussions following a bike crash while group riding at a triathlon practice while in Grade 10 and last year when she hit her head while getting into a car.
“I realized how vulnerable my brain had become which changed the way I live day to day. It became clear I needed to take a step back and reduce my course load to let my brain heal, which meant doing an extra year of high school,” Lara said. “My symptoms have never fully gone away, despite seeing many specialists. I’ve had to learn to live with daily headaches, and although it’s tough, it has taught me resilience, patience and empathy.”
“Lara has consistently had to battle the lasting symptoms and reaggravation of the injury while balancing the demands of being a high performing student, athlete and community member” said Nick Beamish, Chair of Physical Education and Athletic Director at St. Peter CSS, in a reference letter for Lara. “As a student athlete she has been a role model and leader for others. Her peers look up to and respect her, as she is always one of the most dedicated athletes on all of her teams.”
Lara will be attending Queen’s University in the Fall with a goal of studying medicine and doing research in neuroscience.
“My interest in the brain was sparked by my own journey—trying to understand my symptoms and searching for answers. Now, I want to be part of the solution and help others who face similar struggles,” she said.
Montador was an NHL defenceman and former Peterborough Pete.
He suffered several concussions during his playing career and was very vocal about his struggles with depression.
He died at age 35 in 2015.
“Thank you very much to the GPHSF and H.O.P.E. for this bursary in honour of Steve Montador. It means more than financial help—it’s a reminder that there is value in sharing stories like Steve Montador’s and now my own,” Lara said.
“I am deeply grateful to my family and my amazing support system who have helped me throughout every stage of my recovery. Raising awareness about concussion recovery is so important, and I’m proud to be part of that message. To anyone still working through the effects of a concussion: celebrate your victories. It’s easy to compare yourself to others and feel frustrated by the pace of your recovery and repetitive setbacks, but the only true comparison you can make is to the person you were yesterday. No matter how small, or insignificant they may feel, victories are steps forward and they deserve to be celebrated.”