THUNDER BAY – Christian Leisander knows how much easier scholarships can make post-secondary education.
Leisander, who will be starting the Master of Science in management program at Lakehead University, said he has had to work multiple jobs and apply to the Ontario Student Assistance Program.
The financial burden was something he hadn’t expect, Leisander said.
“It has taken away when I’ve had deadlines approaching and I have exams coming up where I don’t have enough time to really study because I have obligations with my employer as well,” Leisander said.
The J. Armand Bombardier Foundation on Wednesday announced the contribution of $50,000 to establish a new Ontario Graduate Scholarship in business. With that amount being matched at a two-to-one rate by the province, the contribution will provide a two annual $15,000 scholarships over the next five years.
The scholarships will be awarded to eligible students in the university’s business graduate programs, including its master of science in management and master of business administration programs.
Leisander, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship recipient, said those awards are blessings.
“It feels like winning the lottery, to put it really simply,” Leisander said. “It alleviates so much stress not having to deal with financing my post-secondary education, having the option to not work if I need to. It just means so much to be able to focus on my education now.”
In addition to the new scholarships, Lakehead and Bombardier have an ongoing partnership that allows post-secondary students in Thunder Bay to gain industry experience from the company through site visits and support of grduate projects while pursuing their studies.
Bahram Dadgostar, the university’s dean of business, said very few business schools are able to provide their students with those kinds of opportunities to bridge the gap between textbooks and experience.
“The combination of these two elements build a candidate to go out and seek jobs and be successful,” Dadgostar said
In a statement, Bombardier’s Thunder Bay general manager Carolyne Leroux said the company believes in the importance of expanding access to education, which develops a talented workforce.
“This new scholarship will strengthen the connection between our two organizations while fostering the business leaders of tomorrow,” Leroux said.
