外流影片

鈥淭hank you isn鈥檛 strong enough.鈥�

Candina Doucette (鈥�17) is emphatic when describing the impact of receiving the Jane鈥檚 Again Bursary on her first year in Acadia鈥檚 BEd program. She began the two-year education program last fall, right after completing a BA in history.

Doucette is the first recipient of the bursary, which was established in 2017 by Jani MacDonald, owner of , a women鈥檚 consignment clothing store in Wolfville. The $5,000 bursary is awarded to a female student who is a parent.

鈥淚 was over-the-moon excited to get the bursary,鈥� says Doucette, who lives in Digby with her husband, Emile, and their two young children. 鈥淚t has meant so many things for my family. This is my fifth academic year, so we have a lot of debt. I鈥檝e been working part-time jobs and was considering taking a year off between this year and next to save up enough money. The bursary has alleviated that pressure; this year is covered. I can focus on getting next year paid for, powering through and finishing my degree.鈥�

From idea to reality

The idea for the bursary arose at a Jane鈥檚 Again staff meeting. Ashley Boyd, an employee who is an Acadia student and a mother, said she wished a scholarship existed for parents. MacDonald replied, 鈥淲ell, why can鈥檛 we do that? Let鈥檚 do that!鈥� The staff agreed, and MacDonald connected with Nancy Handrigan (鈥�92), Acadia鈥檚 Executive Director of Philanthropy to make the bursary concept a reality. 

鈥淎cadia is very dear to us because of all the students who frequent Jane鈥檚, who partner with us, and who are embracing this second-hand movement,鈥� MacDonald says. 鈥淛ane鈥檚 has a business model that allows us to do a lot of giving back. If our partners 鈥� the women who bring in clothes on consignment 鈥� bring us items we can鈥檛 use, we sell or donate them. We鈥檝e donated tons to charitable organizations such as the Flower Cart Group and Open Arms, but we鈥檝e contributed to many more, including the S.M.I.L.E. program, the food bank, and the l鈥橝rche rebuild.鈥�

The Acadia effect

MacDonald believes the Wolfville business community is lucky to have Acadia here. 鈥淚 think Acadia is a stellar university, and it brings so many great kids to our community,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hat would we be without Acadia? I think all businesses should acknowledge that, because we all benefit.鈥�

When Jane鈥檚 Again posted a photo of MacDonald and Doucette on Facebook to celebrate the bursary, the response was immediate. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had nothing but positive feedback,鈥� MacDonald says. 鈥淎bsolutely, overwhelmingly positive. We鈥檝e even had women drop off bags of clothes and say, 鈥楶ut this toward your bursary.鈥欌��

A culture of support 

The bursary is especially important to Doucette because of the challenges of pursuing an education while raising a family at the other end of the Annapolis Valley. Travelling from Digby to Wolfville four or five days a week 鈥� a three-hour round trip 鈥� can be difficult, and if the weather is bad, she is sometimes away from home overnight.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have done it without a supportive partner,鈥� she says. 鈥淭eaching is something I鈥檝e always wanted to do, but I felt it was out of reach. My husband said, 鈥業f you鈥檙e willing to put the time and effort into it, I will pick up the slack on the home end. We will make it work.鈥� And we have. Emile runs his own business, and he keeps the house clean and gets the kids ready for school.鈥�

Doucette's first-choice university was always Acadia.

鈥淓verybody I know who attended Acadia loves it, and I wanted to be part of that kind of culture,鈥� she says. 鈥淎cadia has such a small feel, where you know everybody, and the professors know you and treat you like a colleague. Their support has been very important to me. But at the same time, you have a lot of opportunities here.鈥�

She underscores her gratitude to Jane鈥檚 Again. 鈥淭his is so amazing. 鈥楾hank you鈥� just doesn鈥檛 seem to be enough.鈥�

Creating a named award

Named student awards can be created at 外流影片 for less than $100 a month, making an incredible impact on our students. To discuss your options, please contact Nancy Handrigan (鈥�92) at 902-585-1042 or nancy.handrigan@acadiau.ca

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