Indigenous Bursary Program
INITIAL BURSARIES – 2016/17
The initial agreement, to provide student bursaries, was between the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar (RCOT) and University of Sudbury.The agreement was to select one recipient for 2016/17 school year who was at least in their second-year.They would receive $7,000/year for up to three years, until graduation.
The University was to collect and verify applications and the RCOT was to select the recipient based on our criteria.
REVISED AGREEMENT WITH The Rotary Club of Oakville (RCO) - 2019
In 2019, RCO joined program.
The program retained the criteria of choosing at least a second-year students but increased the selection process to one new recipient each year while lowering the bursary to $5,000/year for each student for up to three years, until graduation. The goal was to have three recipients at one time with each club paying $7,500/year.
SIGNIFICANT TRANSITIONS - 2020
In 2020 Laurentian University ran into financial difficulties and closed University of Sudbury. A significant number of staff were laid off and many programs were cancelled, impacting current recipients.
Subsequently, a new agreement was reached with Laurentian. The agreement had similar terms, with the one exception that Laurentian would not disclose the identity of applicants until after selection. This was done to prevent the perception of any bias in the selection process.
At same time, COVID hit and all classes went on-line.Some recipients struggled without in-person classes and Rotary decided to extend our support for an additional year for a couple of recipients.
APPLICATION CRITERIA
Applications are to be prepared and submitted in Spring for Fall/Winter terms.
Three components to applications include: financial need, a reference letter and a letter from the student outlining their program of study, motivation for pursuing higher education, leadership initiatives, and career ambitions
EVALUATION CRITERIA
A committee comprised of 3 members from each Rotary club evaluate the applications based on five criteria: financial needs, Indigenous/community involvement, whether the applicant is a mature student, the applicant’s letter and the recommendation letter
OVERVIEW OF RECIPIENTS
The Rotary Clubs have supported 10 recipients so far, six have graduated, three are still in school and one dropped out in the fourth year. All recipients have been mature students, some with families.Nine recipients were female and one was male.
For a list of the recipients……. CLICK HERE
To view a photo album of Some of the recipients…… CLICK HERE
COMMENTS FROM RECIPIENTS
Stepfanie Johnston 2016 Recipient
I just wanted to let you and the rest of the Rotary Club of Oakville Trafalgar how much their generosity means to me. I could have never dreamed that I would have made it to medical school and eventually have the capacity to serve Indigenous communities as a physician. I just want to reiterate how important it is for Indigenous students to be granted these opportunities. So, thank you for providing Indigenous students much like myself the opportunity of alleviating financial burden of reaching our academic goals.
Donna Nilson 2025 Recipient
Being chosen for this honour is not being taken lightly and I will work hard to represent your recipient choice to the best of my ability. It gives me the motivation and pushes me to work hard to reach my goals and to inspire others to rise above whatever holds them back, to stay positive and to keep moving forward.