Being involved in my community has always been an important aspect of my life. However, it wasn’t until my final year of high school that I realized just how beneficial my involvement would be.
In my grade 12 year, I began applying for post-secondary scholarships. I described my extracurricular and volunteer activities in my applications and, eventually, I found success.
I graduated with total scholarship offers of more than $100,000. I was extremely proud to call myself a TD scholar, a National Millennium laureate, and a recipient of Nova Scotia’s Premier’s Power of Positive Change award.
These awards brought two awesome benefits: 1) I would leave university debt-free and, 2) I had guaranteed summer employment for the next four years. (Along with the scholarship money, TD scholars are offered full-time summer employment with the company in between school years.)
Although I deeply appreciated the scholarship money, it was the offer of employment that proved most valuable.
Providing scholarship money to high school graduates for their post-secondary education is something companies have been doing for a long time. It’s a nice way to give back to the community and amp up a corporate image.
Although any funding is appreciated by students, organizations are missing out if they aren’t using their scholarship program as a means of recruitment.
Employers should realize that scholarship programs are an awesome way to give back to the community and build a pool of great potential employees.
My advice to students (high school, undergraduate or graduate) is that you would be crazy not to apply for scholarships. There is so much untapped money out there.
Where Adam is now
I just finished my second year at the University of New Brunswick on the TD Canada Trust Scholarship. Next year I am transferring to Acadia University to finish my Honours in Psychology. I work as a teller for TD during my summers and I’m thinking about law school for the future.
TalentEgg, Canada’s online career resource for students and recent grads, wants to hear your Student Voice. Share it at TalentEgg.ca.
