Rainbow Bursary gift-matching marks Day of Pink
Posted on Wednesday, April 13th, 2022
A name change in Ontario costs $137 and takes anywhere from six to eight weeks for processing. With 2022 Spring Convocation just 10 weeks away, learners who want their credentials to match their authentic selves need to act now. You can help them – today – by supporting the AC Rainbow Bursary.
The AC Rainbow Bursary helps 2SLGBTQ+ with anything they need to feel secure and supported.
Established during Pride Month 2021 by School of Business professor Angela Lyrette, the AC Rainbow Bursary provides financial assistance to students who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, with special consideration given to students who identify as Black, Indigenous, disabled, trans and/or non-binary. Students may use the bursary to purchase books, supplies, gender-affirming clothing or basic necessities, for example.
In support of International Day of Pink — a worldwide anti-bullying and anti-homophobia awareness campaign which takes place April 13 — Algonquin College will match Rainbow Bursary donations up to $3,000 until April 20, 2022.
Lyrette developed the bursary after a personal experience with a student that left her concerned and eager to support.
“A couple of years ago, I had a student who excelled in their program but on the day of their graduation they were nothing like the student I had gotten to know,” says Lyrette. “They looked very small and uncomfortable, and I noticed that they were wearing a different gendered outfit. At the College you can specify your preferred name on forms, email and Brightspace, but when it came time for graduation the student had to receive their credential in their deadname. This really bothered me.”
Lyrette quickly got to work to ensure other students did not have to live through the same experience.
“I spoke with the Wellness and Equity Centre coordinator at the College in June of 2021, and together we began setting up a bursary that would financially support 2SLGBTQ+ students so that money was no longer a barrier when it came to purchasing gender affirming clothing, undergoing a name change, or buying schoolbooks and supplies,” she says. “In the case of this student the bursary would have helped them be recognized for their achievements the way they wanted to be recognized — by their preferred name. I wanted the weight of the whole College behind these graduates saying, ‘We see you and we respect you!’”
Elliot, an Algonquin College Computer Programming student who immigrated to Canada with his partner four years ago, says the bursary has helped him immensely.
“I was awarded the bursary in December and with the money, I could finally afford to buy a down jacket. The past winter was extremely cold, but the jacket kept me warm throughout the harsh weather,” says Elliot. “My partner and I were also able to buy a small Christmas tree to celebrate the holiday, and it really gave us warmth in our hearts — given that we are thousands of miles away from our family members and couldn’t afford to go back.”
Elliot says that as a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Canada he felt lucky, astonished and grateful when he was awarded the Rainbow Bursary.
“The bursary helped me a great deal. One may never know how much the person who received it could be benefited,” says Elliot. “Whether it’s food to fill a hungry stomach, clothes to keep them warm, or a helping hand with rent — a little bit of financial assistance can go a long way.”
Today, eight students have benefited from the bursary, which Lyrette hopes will only continue to grow.
“I am impacted very strongly by the work that Algonquin College does to create a safe space for students and it’s so encouraging to see the support this bursary has received,” says Lyrette. “The College really is a role model when it comes to doing the work to make sure everyone feels welcome and knows that they belong.”
On International Day of Pink, consider donating to the AC Rainbow Bursary* to support students in your community — whether that be in Ottawa, Perth, Pembroke or Online Campus — on the journey to becoming their authentic selves.
Everyone deserves to be recognized authentically.
*The AC Rainbow Bursary is open to Canadian citizens, landed immigrants, permanent residents, protected persons, and international students.
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