Stepping up

This article is part of the Dalhousie Difference series, introducing and showcasing some of the 50 innovative projects in development.

Students are getting an added boost. On Friday, February 11, TD Canada Trust announced a $1 million donation to Dalhousie University to establish the Black Student Opportunity Scholarship. The announcement came in conjunction with the Black History in Canada Education Guide Launch.

The scholarship will be given to one or two students from Grade 7-12 who participate in Imhotep’s Legacy Academy, a program aimed at supporting black youth in Nova Scotia. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage junior high and high school students to plan for the future and reduce the financial barrier facing black students.

“This contribution will have a lasting impression on our program,” says Kevin Hewitt, a member of the Imhotep’s Legacy Academy Steering Committee. “Now that TD has thrown down the gauntlet, who else wants to help?”

Black students are typically underrepresented in universities. The goal of the academy is to bridge the educational gap in the black community. Based at Dalhousie, the academy includes an after-school program for Grade 7-9 students involving math and science activities. Currently 75 students are in the program. This year the academy will launch a virtual tutoring project to help 60 high school students. “We’re really excited,” says Dr. Hewitt. “The scholarship can be an incentive for students to participate and stay in the program.”

This scholarship fits into the aspirations of the academy. Dr. Hewitt hopes to have the program be a model that extends to other parts of Canada. “Our vision is to have Imhotep’s Academy in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary,” he says.

Students aren’t the only ones who benefit. Parents get the added bonus of having part of their children’s educational costs covered. Hewitt hopes the scholarship will be another way to entice parents to support the program. “Parents are another voice to encourage kids to come to our sessions each week,” says Dr. Hewitt. “They will know that it will pay off in more ways than one.”