Sometimes, help arrives at exactly the right moment. For a student beginning a new school year, $1,000 can mean a new laptop for classes, a tuition payment, living expenses, or books. But the Inspired by Learning Bursary is about more than just helping with bills. It’s about reminding a student that they are not alone on this journey; that their community is rooting for them.
On August 27, we gathered to celebrate an important milestone for the OCH Foundation’s Inspired by Learning Bursary program: awarding 40 students a bursary. This is the largest number of bursaries we have ever awarded in a single year! Every year in August, our team joins Desjardins at their 700 Sussex Drive main branch to award Inspired by Learning Bursaries. This program provides $1,000 bursaries to people living in OCH communities who are pursuing post-secondary education or trades training.
However, to us this milestone means more than just 40 bursaries. We see 40 people who have worked hard, set goals and worked towards a better future. And we hope this bursary makes their journey just a little easier. As OCH Foundation Executive Director Traci Spour-Lafrance shared at the awards ceremony, “education can open doors, but we also know that sometimes people need someone to help hold that door open. That’s what this program is about.”
The program’s impact was beautifully reflected in Aysha’s story. Aysha is a 2016 bursary recipient who joined us at this year’s award ceremony. Aysha and her family came to Canada as refugees from Afghanistan. When she received her bursary, she was pursuing her degree and navigating the many challenges that come with building a new life. Years later, she returned to tell us what that support meant to her.
“My family and I came to Canada as refugees from Afghanistan in 2008. When we first arrived, we lived in a family shelter before finding a home in Ottawa Community Housing, in the Rochester Heights community. When I received the Inspired by Learning Bursary in 2016 (known as the Ron Larkin Scholarship then), it meant a lot to me. I was 18 years old and preparing to begin my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Ottawa. Going to university was exciting, but it also came with a lot of uncertainty. Like many young people growing up in Ottawa Community Housing, the financial realities of pursuing post-secondary education were very real. Receiving the scholarship helped financially, but what stayed with me just as much was what it represented. It meant that someone saw potential in me and was willing to invest in my education and my future. At 17/18, that meant a lot.”
Aysha’s story reminds us that a bursary can shape a person’s journey for years to come.
We are extremely grateful to Desjardins for helping make these moments possible. Since 2023, Desjardins has sponsored 120 Inspired by Learning bursaries, helping more students pursue their education and their goals. Their ongoing support is a tangible example of what it looks like to show up for local communities. It’s incredibly meaningful to see institutions like Desjardins investing in the future of our communities.
To our 40 bursary recipients: congratulations. We hope you take a moment to be proud of what you have already accomplished. There are people in your community cheering you on, believing in your potential and looking forward to seeing where your journey takes you.
