Like any savvy student applying to university, Anastacia Raniuk didn’t put all her eggs in one basket, but her heart was set on McGill.
“I had set my sights on McGill since late middle school,” Raniuk laughs. “It was my dream university.”
The Calgary native received a major renewable entrance scholarship to McGill. Another piece of her funding puzzle was a TELUS Student Bursary.
“It was just an overwhelming relief that I could actually pursue the path that I had wanted for a really long time,” says Raniuk, a first-year student who hopes to go into the Interfaculty Program in Sustainability, Science and Society, part of a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree.
“I felt like my hard work throughout all of high school finally paid off,” she adds. “It’s often kind of behind the scenes and it’s just great to actually have your hard work recognized.”
Anastacia Raniuk
Raniuk is one of 30 McGill students benefiting from a TELUS Student Bursary this academic year, and among the 400+ bursary recipients each year at colleges and universities across Canada. At the university level, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s bursary program provides $5,000 bursaries, and all students will be offered additional support, including learning and mentorship opportunities, and free mobility and low cost internet plans to keep students connected and thriving.
Cara Piperni, Director of Scholarships and Student Aid at McGill, credits TELUS Friendly Future Foundation “for making such a significant injection in need-based assistance to the ecosystem for Canadian students.” The most vulnerable students in financial need and their families continue to be more affected by the echoes of the pandemic and inflation than their peers, notes Piperni.
“These are not yet normal times for many families whose employment or businesses have been impacted for a few years. A lot of students are still trying to catch up and lack savings to bring to their studies. We’re seeing campuses across Canada with students struggling with financial stressors. And so, being able to respond with added financial assistance, is just so meaningful.”
TELUS Friendly Future Foundation established the $50-million TELUS Student Bursary fund in October 2023. The Foundation operates its own central application process for the program, but also has five official partners that it provided funding to this academic year, including McGill, which received $150,000 of bursaries to administer.
“We understand that not all youth have equal opportunities or the resources to reach their full potential, and that includes higher education,” says Shanan Spencer-Brown, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s executive director. “Being able to obtain a college diploma or university degree really opens doors for youth to develop skills, to launch their careers and have the ability to become the changemakers of tomorrow. So, the TELUS Student Bursary is designed to help youth across Canada who are facing financial barriers access university.”
The bursary is designed to inspire students to pursue their studies with a social impact mindset and find ways to give back to their community. “In our national selection process, our bursary recipients commit to doing a project or some sort of venture that makes a positive contribution to addressing social, health or environmental issues while they’re in their academic studies,” Spencer-Brown says.
Among this year’s bursary recipients selected by McGill, one was previously involved in financial literacy education for underserved populations, another helped to find local homes for displaced Ukrainian families, and so on. “Many of our recipients are already making a change in their communities. What this bursary does is allow them to flourish in their studies and liberate some time so they’re able continue their impact instead of having to pick up another part-time job,” Piperni says.
“It’s nice to have people out there that recognize what you do and help you to actually continue that,” says Raniuk, who was involved in a local youth climate group as a high school student. She also served on the Alberta Education Minister’s Youth Council and led the environmental club at her high school.
Montreal native Blain Haile (pictured centre below) had McGill Law in mind since high school. She was admitted into the program directly from CEGEP, a highly competitive admission stream that makes up 20 per cent of McGill Law students this year. She received a scholarship from the Faculty of Law and was awarded a TELUS Student Bursary.
“It’s a huge burden off of my shoulders,” says Haile, who will be doing a legal internship in France next June as part of her program. “It just means financial ease and it allows me to focus more on my studies and less stress about ‘when is my next credit card bill coming up’, or ‘when’s the next thing I have to pay?’ So, that’s a huge help for that.”
In one of her jobs, Haile works as a legal assistant in a legal clinic that offers free consultations for youth and people who can’t afford lawyers. She’s also active in an organization called École Sans Police, which advocates for police-free schools in Montreal.
“I absolutely love it,” says Haile of her program. “It’s a lot of work, but I can’t see that when I’m literally in love with the law.”
As part of the program’s effort to reduce barriers to both attend and persist through graduation, the Scholarship and Student Aid Office was allowed to use the funding from TELUS Friendly Future Foundation as both an entrance bursary – “which means we’re attracting students who have financial barriers to say yes to coming” to McGill – and for students in the midst of their degrees, Piperni says. “In speaking to TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, they aptly recognize that it’s not just about helping students start their degree. They need ongoing and consistent support.”
Piperni expressed gratitude to TELUS and TELUS Friendly Future Foundation for the bursary funding. “My team and I see every day the impact that this has on the ground and we’re just very, very grateful that they entrusted McGill to be part of this bursary program.”