Humber College students have access to new bursaries to help with the cost of their education with the TELUS Student Bursary announced Oct. 11 at a launch at TELUS’ main offices in downtown Toronto.
 
Humber has received $150,000 of the initial $2 million allocated that will allow the College to distribute bursaries of $3,000 each to a minimum of 50 students. The Centre for Social Innovation in collaboration with Advancement and Alumni has established a selection committee to review the more than 130 applications the College has received.
 
“The TELUS Student Bursary aligned directly with the work of the Centre for Social Innovation and it provides all students at Humber an opportunity to make positive changes in their communities and innovate and co-create in collaboration with equity-deserving groups,” said June MacDonald-Jenkins, senior dean, Faculty of Social and Community Services and principal, Lakeshore Campus. “We are so excited to see the impact of their work on their personal career development, as well as the communities they engage.”

The TELUS Student Bursary Fund was created with a $25 million endowment gift from TELUS as well as an additional $25 million in fundraising from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. They’re calling it Canada’s largest bursary fund.
 
The bursaries are available to youth between the ages of 17 and 29 who are either enrolled or accepted into an undergraduate degree or diploma program at five post-secondary institutions across the country. Recipients must also demonstrate commitment to community involvement and social innovation that’s driven to make the world a better place.

TELUS Friendly Future Foundation also had a direct application program through their own portal that any students in post-secondary could apply to. They then selected five institutions to offer direct applications via those institutions.
 
Humber is the only College included.
 
“In a world rapidly evolving, we cannot afford to leave any youth behind. The TELUS Student Bursary is not just about funding, but about belief in the boundless potential of our youth and the transformative power they hold,” said Ashif Mawji, chair, Board of Directors, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation. “As the main differentiator of the TELUS Student Bursary, students will commit to undertaking a project that will have a positive social, environmental or health impact during their studies, helping ensure that every youth has the opportunity to not only get the education they are passionate about, but to also give back in the form of a social impact that they will champion and be self-accountable for.”



A poll from earlier this year found that 75 per cent of respondents said that it’s very hard to afford a post-secondary education while 79 per cent said the amount of debt that students take on to get an education can be debilitating.
 
“Practicing art direction for advertising often requires a clear mind and fewer distractions to create meaningful ideas. The Humber creative advertising program is a great place to begin a career in advertising, but living on my own as a student can easily get in the way of progression,” said Holden Vint, a second-year Bachelor of Creative Advertising student who applied directly to TELUS. “The bursary from the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation has helped me relax with my finances and even connect with like-minded individuals in my industry. The bursary couldn’t have come at a better time for me, and I appreciate the people at TELUS who were able to see the value in myself and my future career. “
 
Bursary recipients also have the opportunity to utilize free mobility and low-cost internet plans through TELUS’ Mobility for Good and Internet for Good programs as well as mentoring, networking and other career development opportunities both during school and after graduation.
 
The Humber recipients of the TELUS Student Bursary are expected to be announced in the coming months.
 
For more on the bursaries, visit the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation website.