Bursaries Provide Optimism in the Face of Challenge
Selkirk College Financial Aid Key to Sucess
Embarking on an educational journey takes a large dose of determination to be successful. Pushing off on a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing pathway as a single mom with a three-year-old daughter requires resolve and courage.
First-year Selkirk College Nursing Program student Meghan Stewart made the decision to return to school at the age of 39 because she wanted a fulfilling career that would also provide a brighter future for her daughter Ruby.
First-year Selkirk College Nursing Program student Meghan Stewart received three bursaries totaling $4,200 to help offset the cost of her post-secondary education. In total, Selkirk College will provide $190,000 in bursaries this year to students in a variety of programs.
“There were times in the first semester that I would be crying into the noodles I was making my daughter for dinner,” Stewart says of the stress over not only learning, but also the financial challenges of a full-time student. “She would ask me if I needed a hug and a stuffie. Then she would say, ‘don’t worry mom, in a little bit it will get better.’ Because that’s what I say to her when she stubs her toe or skins her knee.”
The wisdom of her three-year-old daughter was realized late in the first semester when Stewart received an email from the Selkirk College Financial Aid Department informing her that she would receive three bursaries. Already exceeding her own expectations on the educational side of the equation, the financial stress was eased through the kindness of donors.
“We learned a lot in the first semester about the social determinants of health and how there are varying factors that create vulnerability to illness and disease,” she says. “Areas of your life like employment, job security, working conditions, food security, social inclusion, income… donors are actually contributing to a person’s holistic health. Is there a greater gift than that?”
Read the entire story on Meghan Stewart at selkirk.ca.