After graduating from university, April Bartlett travelled the country working as a counsellor and advocate at group homes and women’s shelters, in restaurants and warehouses and as a landscaper and tree planter.
But she found her path unfulfilling, until she discovered the Heritage Carpentry program at the NSCC Lunenburg Campus.
“Both my father and grandfather are woodworkers, and since childhood I have yearned to have those skills,” she says. “I want to craft useful objects, restore beautiful woodwork to last hundreds of years more, and continue a legacy of skill sharing.”
April is excited by the hands-on learning she’s doing, but — like many students — was struggling financially with debts and expenses before receiving help with her tuition through the Credit Union Education Award.
“Knowing that NSCC wants students to be here, and is making it accessible — and they want you to go out into the workforce and stay in Nova Scotia and support the economy — I find that really encouraging,” she says.
Through Make Way — The Campaign for NSCC, a $25-million, province-wide fundraising initiative, the college is removing barriers to education for those who will propel Nova Scotia forward.
Through the generosity of donors — Nova Scotian business and community leaders, and people from all walks of life — the campaign is helping to create a better province for everyone, by supporting student success.
While Make Way is increasing the number of scholarships, bursaries and other types of financial aid available to students, the need is great, and only a fraction of students who apply receive help.
And recipients often note that as much as the financial boost is appreciated, receiving a bursary is also a significant confidence builder. That was the case for Ian Vaughn, who received the Efficiency Nova Scotia Bright Student Award.
“This award will help me achieve my goals of becoming a certified engineering technologist, working alongside environmental engineers, to help design and build a more sustainable future for generations to come,” says Ian, an Energy Sustainability Technology student at the Annapolis Valley Campus.
A former navy mechanic and small business owner, Ian travelled the world, always keen to observe living conditions, technology, lifestyle, climate and politics. He spent the past 10 years in El Salvador, teaching himself all of the skills needed to become a self-sustaining farmer and hostel owner.
But he was still looking for more. He found it in the Energy Sustainability Technology program at the Annapolis Valley Campus. “It corroborated my life experience and formal education into a career category I never knew existed,” says Ian.
Urgent Aid keeps student motoring to school
As a Student Association representative at Burridge Campus in Yarmouth, Elisha Monteith had positive feelings about Make Way — The Campaign for NSCC, and specifically, the Urgent Aid Fund, which helps students in dire financial need.
“I thought, ‘How wonderful to have that there for students, as a back-up,’” says the single mother of two boys, who is enrolled in NSCC’s Social Services program.
Then December hit, with all of its inherent challenges. Elisha had to move unexpectedly and needed winter tires for her daily commute to campus. “I just couldn’t navigate it. I didn’t have the funds. But if I didn’t get the tires, I wouldn’t be able to get to school,” she recalls.
She was referred to her Student Services Advisor, who assessed her situation and offered Urgent Aid funding to ensure she would continue getting to school.
“There was no shame, no stigma, and it made a world of difference,” says Elisha, who graduated previously from NSCC’s Business Administration program and worked out west for several years.
“It took all of the stress off. I didn’t have to worry about paying it back. And I didn’t miss any school,” she says. “Sometimes, you need help to get through a rocky patch. NSCC cares about its students. They don’t want us to fail. They are setting us up for success.”
