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What impact can a TD Scholarship have on a student’s life?
For more than 20 years, TD has been awarding scholarships to outgoing high school students who have demonstrated outstanding community leadership.
Through the TD Scholarships for Community Leadership, TD recognizes students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership within their communities by providing them with up to $70,000 over four years, money that’s split between tuition and living expenses.
Some students, like Besan Jadalowen, say the scholarship has changed the course of their university experience, giving them more time to focus on school, extracurriculars and volunteer work, without the burden of worrying about how they’ll pay for their four-year degree.
New for the 2023 school year is the TD Scholarship for Indigenous Peoples. This scholarship opportunity, created in collaboration with AFOA Canada – a not-for-profit led by Indigenous Peoples – was built to help support the unique needs of students from Indigenous communities.
The scholarship provides up to $60,000 over four years for tuition and living expenses as well as employment opportunities at TD, including internships and full-time opportunities post-graduation.
As applications are now open for both the TD Scholarships for Community Leadership and the TD Scholarship for Indigenous Peoples, we spoke with two 2022-2023 recipients about what the scholarship has meant to them so far.
Becoming a TD Scholarships for Community Leadership recipient has changed the course of my university experience. I no longer have to worry about financing my education and working part time while studying. Now, I can focus on school, exploring extracurriculars, learning about myself, and doing what I love most – volunteering.
Family is everything to me, and this scholarship allows me to make my family proud and devote myself to receiving a well-rounded education. I hope to eventually repay and honour my hardworking parents. I couldn’t have made it this far without them.
I am so grateful for the amazing opportunities that come with this scholarship, like the internships and in the summers ahead and mentorship. Not only will these opportunities help me learn more about the job market and its diversity, but they will connect me to a whole community, helping to broaden my perspective and develop my personal skill set.
When we connected in-person for the 2023 scholarships award ceremony, it was incredible to see a room full of likeminded individuals who care greatly about their communities and genuinely want the best for those around them.
After meeting the incredible TD Scholarships for Community Leadership recipients from all over Canada, I can now say that I have a diverse new network of lifelong friends – we’ve even promised to visit each other if we’re close by!
Now as an alumni, I am grateful to be connected with a network of future youth impact seekers where I can continue the work and volunteer opportunities I care about, like promoting female fitness and healthy lifestyles, and taking part in important conversations. This scholarship has opened the door to a long-term opportunity to drive positive impact and I encourage more community-oriented youth in Canada to apply.
I had a tough summer. In May, while I was away at college in British Columbia, my father died at the age of 56. I was devastated and felt so lost. I couldn’t even check my email for a few weeks. When I finally did, I found out that I was selected as one of the first-ever recipients of the TD Scholarship for Indigenous Peoples.
This meant so much to me. I was struggling to motivate myself to return to school to complete my final exams. The scholarship funding, and the internship that TD immediately offered me for the summer, was the boost I needed to get back on track and continue working towards my goals.
When I was growing up, my family experienced housing insecurities. Later, I saw how my grandparent had to be taken away from our home to seek medical care down South.
My dream is to learn how to build sustainable structures that can withstand the elements in the North, so that we can have the housing supply and health facilities needed to live and stay in our homeland. That’s why I will be starting a three-year diploma program in sustainable building technology in September.
The scholarship will make a huge difference to me and my family. I will be using the funding towards my tuition and living expenses, such as rent. This will significantly decrease our financial strain. Plus, the paid summer internships will help support me both financially and professionally.
I will also be using a portion of my scholarship money to help pay for my husky and small dog to travel back to school with me and provide me with emotional support.
I am very grateful for this scholarship because it came at a time when I felt like giving up. I feel like it was a sign from my father telling me to continue my studies. I’m going to do everything I can to make the most of this opportunity and to make my father and my community proud.
Applications for the 2024 TD Scholarships for Community Leadership are open until November 15, 2023.
Applications for the 2024 TD Scholarship for Indigenous Peoples are open until November 6, 2023.
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