My name is Chryslyn Pais and my degree was in Geography and Environmental studies. Scholarships are not just about providing funding for a student, it was more of someone giving me time and flexibility. So, I was a work study student; I took time off to come to work to pay to come to university in the first place, so when I got here I was already concerned about how I was going to pay my way through. Receiving funding through a scholarship or a bursary gives a student the peace of mind to know that somebody else is looking out for you and you are not just on your own.
I would like to tell our donors that their funding went a really long way. When I graduated, I finished as the Valedictorian for my faculty and finished with a couple of awards. I probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve this had I not had the flexibility of doing extracurriculars or putting in more time to my studies. So, it’s gone a long way, and I remember thinking at graduation just how far I have come because of funding and just because of somebody helping me out. Everybody wants to make a difference in the world, but when you help one person out you make a world of difference to them. So, I think it’s a way of leaving a legacy from you to your own alma mater, and to somebody that you know it will really help, to someone who will really appreciate it.
It’s important to me, because I know that somebody supported me and I know that somebody helped me start out my career. So, while, just from having help to pay for my education and that’s [...] an opportunity that I would like to provide for someone else, just to pay it forward. Thank you for your support.