Financial Aid February is one of my favourite moments in the school year, a time when the SMUS community comes together with purpose and heart to support the financial aid and scholarship programs that change students’ lives. This year, all gifts to Financial Aid made in the month of February will be matched by the Allen and Loreen Vandekerkhove Family Foundation up to $10,000, doubling the impact for students.
One in five SMUS students are supported through financial aid and scholarship programs. These 200+ students add diverse perspectives to all aspects of the school, enriching the learning experience for every student. Financial aid ensures that a SMUS education is accessible to exceptional young people from all backgrounds, opening doors that economic barriers might otherwise keep closed.
At its heart, Financial Aid February is about community: past and present families and alumni paying forward the opportunities that helped shape their own SMUS experience to ensure those opportunities remain available for future generations.
As Development Manager, I have the privilege of seeing firsthand the joy, gratitude, and transformation that financial aid makes possible. I meet students who thrive because someone they’ve never met believes in their potential. I meet alumni doing extraordinary things in the world, and nearly 20% of them began their journey thanks to someone like you, who believed in their potential.
The long-term impact of financial aid is perhaps best understood through the voices of our alumni. For many, financial aid was the catalyst that made a SMUS education possible and set the course for everything that followed.
“Financial Aid was absolutely the only reason I got to dream of and eventually attend SMUS. As a small-town youth, SMUS was the first true experience where I had an abundance of choice, and challenging opportunities in my education - that alone was simply life-changing and set me on the trajectory I am on today. The support me and my family received from Financial Aid was an act of care from the SMUS Alumni, Donors, Families and Community that for three years felt like a genuine and consistent "I believe in you" that empowered me through to graduation. Receiving financial aid was not only the greatest gift, but also taught me values of generosity, reciprocity and mutual aid that I carry with me as I walk through this world.
Today, I am wrapping up my final semester at Thompson Rivers University, where I received a full-ride scholarship and numerous research awards to study land-based education through the Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Program. I am actively engaged in a full-time career in land-based education, youth social justice training, and you'll even find me back at SMUS guiding our trips and Outdoor Leadership courses at the Middle and Senior School each spring.” —Alana Norie
Alana was the Class of 2022 valedictorian, a Bateman Scholar, a Timmis Scholar, a Best School Year Ever Contest finalist, and a recipient of both Financial Aid and the COVID Relief Fund. Their story reflects what is possible when students are supported at the moment when opportunity meets readiness.
We look forward to sharing more alumni stories with you throughout this month. Financial Aid February runs from Sunday, February 1, to Saturday, February 28. I hope you’ll consider joining us this year.
