Scotiabank steps up to support international students

BY CHRISTINA-MARY PIPER

Students flock from around the world to enroll in Sheridan’s renowned programs including Animation and Game Design. International students who are a part of the Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design are strongly supported by scholarships.

“Scotiabank confirmed their support to Sheridan in August 2016,” says Sharon Aitkens the development and campaigns director at Sheridan College, and Scotiabank has donated $100,000 to Sheridan College to the Get Creative Campaign for international students. These scholarships/bursaries are; they’re for students in business enrolled in the Pilon School of Business at the HMC (Hazel McCallion Campus) in Mississauga.

The Pilon School of Business which offers a wide variety of degrees, diplomas and post-graduate programs. Is named in honour of Randy Pilon, a Sheridan graduate who donated $2.5 million to the Get Creative Campaign, the funds are available to any international student registered at the Pilon school of Business at HMC regardless of which campus they go to, says Aitkens.

The Get Creative Campaign has a goal of raising $9 million in the future to support more international students with scholarships.

Over the past 10 years Sheridan has seen a 1,000 per cent increase in international students. There are currently more than 6,000 international students enrolled at Sheridan College, most of whom are full-time students.  The funding will provide educational opportunity to more students.

Aitkens shared some helpful information to international students who might not know how to apply.

“The student support is in the form of a bursary. Students apply via Access Sheridan>My Student Centre>Finance>Online Award Applications>Apply or via Awards.SheridanCollege.ca. After the student creates a student profile the Registrar’s Office responds, via email, with the details of any support a student is eligible for.”

An international student who is studying pays double the tuition that domestic students pay. “It depends if your family rich, the international fees are okay, but if your family just middle class, then it is quite hard as a whole” says Chloe Shen, a student in the Arts and Crafts Design program.

Many international students do not know that help such as scholarships or bursaries are available to them. “I want to apply the scholarships, but I don’t know how to,” said Shen.