The Sandra Irving Scholarship helped me to accomplish two international education goals: to attend university as an exchange student in Norway and to attend a month-long woodfired pottery workshop in Japan. This process also connected Sandra and I so that we have been pen pals ever since: a huge blessing.

The application process helped me form a vision of myself within a future Saint John, based on my community accomplishments. I still hold this narrative close to my heart.

These days I am raising a family in the country and making a little bit of pottery. The time I spent away from home has taught me what's really important: the friends you make along the way.

The Sandra Irving scholarship helped me in several ways. It provided me with reassurance of the work I put into my studies and gave me confidence not only in my abilities, but my potential. The scholarship gave me financial relief, allowing me the opportunity to travel to China as part of a student delegation on international relations through the International Scholar Laureate Program. It also helped me stand out from other candidates when applying for internships and jobs. Following my trip to China, I was accepted to The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars where I was able to intern for four months with the International Association of Women Judges. Both of these opportunities may not have been possible without the financial support and honour of receiving the Sandra Irving scholarship.

I enjoyed the application process because it gave me the chance to highlight and reflect on my passions, my drivers, and my ambitions. It was about more than scholastic achievement. It was about who I was as a person and what my vision was for the future. This continued through the interview. Sandra seemed genuinely interested in me, what I had done and where I wanted to go. It made the interview feel more like a conversation, helping to ease the pressure.

I am currently the Manager of Communications at AltaLink, Alberta's largest electricity transmission provider serving more than three million Albertans. In my role I get to lead an incredible team that is responsible for developing and executing strategies to effectively communicate with our diverse and varied stakeholders, both internally and externally.

What this scholarship permitted me to do was travel. Up to this point I had only been to other provinces and the United States. And for me to travel it was not simply to go on a vacation, but to visit a place which connected me with my interest in politics and history. This place was Robben Island South Africa, and more specifically to see the prison cell where Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela spent 18 years of his 27-year prison sentence during the Apartheid era. Without this scholarship I would not have had the financial means to make such a journey which I would argue helped shape the person I am today. This journey I took after graduating in 2010.

If my memory serves me well, I believe Professor Jeffrey, Sandra Irving, and Professor Desserud were present. I remember being asked the question, how would this scholarship help you. I recall explaining how it would help me to travel, to see the world and help discover this connection with what I am studying and up to this point I was never able to make any such trips due not having the financial means to do so. To travel is not only to see the world but to discover yourself within it, this I knew but could never achieve. The other questions of the interview I cannot remember. I do recall being required to provide a piece of academic writing as well as a letter of motivation and my Resume. And I think one of my professors suggested that I apply, I was skeptical at first as I did not think I had what it took and did not expect to get to the interview process let alone be selected as one of the 4 candidates that year.

As of today, I work as a Special Advisor in a Director General’s office for the Law Enforcement Branch at Public Safety Canada in Ottawa. I also work as a Reservist with the Canadian Armed Forces.

The scholarship gave me the opportunity to concentrate more on my studies, and it helped fund my semester abroad in Washington, DC, where I got to intern at a foreign embassy. That experience shaped my understanding of the world and what part I wanted to play in it vis-à-vis my chosen career path.

After graduating from UNB Saint John in 2017, I completed my Master's in Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. I've lived in the capital ever since, working for the federal government. Outside the office, I enjoy being outdoors, writing fiction, and solo globetrotting.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of getting to study in Ottawa for a semester and above all else, the opportunity to live away from home, for that period of time ignited in me a love of travel and a confidence to do so. Before that trip, at the age of 22, I had not been away from home alone.

I barely remember the interview process, only that I was quite nervous and Sandra was really nice. It was over 20 years ago. I had applied at the suggestion of my then Professor and Academic Advisor, Don Desserud.

I still live in Saint John and have been with the same company since I graduated from UNB Saint John. I will celebrate my 19th year with Sitel Group in September. My current role is Sr. Director of Operations. I lead a large US and Canada based team. I have spent the last 15 years travelling as much as 75% of the time.

This scholarship helped me immensely in finishing my university degree. I had accrued significant debt from being previously enrolled in a different program, and this scholarship allowed me take two full years of my degree completely debt-free. This enabled me to be as involved in my community and campus as possible and to thrive in my schoolwork, as I didn't have to stress about earning enough money to cover tuition.

The interview process was somewhat daunting initially, but once the virtual interview got underway it was less stressful than I anticipated, as the interviewers, including Arthur, Sandra, and Sarah Irving, were so friendly and enthusiastic about me and what I've accomplished. It really boosted my confidence, regardless of the outcome of the process.

I graduated as valedictorian in May 2022 and am now working two research jobs, one involving housing and the other involving urban health. I'm happy to be out in the world and working in areas that will benefit my community in the long term.

The Sandra Irving scholarship was a big help to me going into my 3rd year. It reduced my debt load, meaning I could focus on my studies without taking on too many part-time jobs. It was also a big confidence booster for me as a student.

The application and interview process was pretty smooth. It encouraged you to consider whether you were a good candidate for the scholarship since it required a degree of self-reflection. The interview process was different from other interviews I had been in because it was not for employment like interviews often are. The interview team, including Sandra, made the experience fun for me.

I am currently a software developer with InteliSys Aviation Systems here in Saint John. I have a wife and two kids and am happy to be building my career and family here!

The scholarship allowed me to allocate more time to my studies and reduced the financial stress associated with being a university student during my final year of my undergrad.

Since receiving the scholarship, I have graduated from my BA in Politics with distinction, worked as a research and teaching assistant, and started my Master of Arts in Political Science in the thesis stream at UNB. As well, I am working as a research assistant for New Brunswick Social Pediatrics, an organization that supports children and families from a child rights, community social pediatrics, and trauma informed framework. The scholarship allowed me to allocate more time to my studies and reduced the financial stress associated with being a university student during my final year of my undergrad