Tara Balador and Chloe Jung are the first two recipients of the new Mahsa Amini Scholarship, which was presented by Candice Zhong of the Dawson Student Union at the Fall Awards Night Nov. 30. The Mahsa Amini Scholarship aims to help international and refugee students at Dawson who are affected by conflict and in need of financial aid.

“Being honoured with this award presented a significant chance for me,” said Tara, a student in Pure & Applied Science, in an interview with the Communications Office. “As an international student, it helped me to pay my college tuition fees. Moreover, it instilled confidence in me and conveyed a sense of importance, indicating that the college values and supports me in the challenges I face as an international student.”

Candice of the DSU said that is exactly why the union is supporting this initiative: “The Mahsa Amini Scholarship is especially important for the DSU, since it is a way for us to show support for our students… no matter the background of the student.”

Nursing student Chloe feels lucky and grateful. “Living in a different country is something more demanding than I thought,” she said. “New people, new languages, new systems… I feel like adapting to these ‘unfamiliarities’ is more difficult when you are a grown-up. With more responsibilities like academics, rent, food, sometimes it becomes very challenging. It has been around four years since I came here, but I still am learning new things every day.”

For Chloe, the award will “lighten my financial situation. It will allow me to buy more textbooks, uniforms for my clinicals, and equipment.”

Both students are enjoying their studies at Dawson despite the challenges. Chloe is in the second year of nursing: “The program is very hectic. but I feel proud of myself learning something useful every day to help the sick and the ones who need medical help. I like the stage days in my schedule. This is something special about nursing; we go to hospitals and learn real life and hands-on skills.”

Tara is involved in the Blue Ring group and has participated in many volunteer activities at Dawson. “The college has provided me with numerous wonderful experiences, with the most notable being a diverse and multicultural environment that has made it more friendly and comfortable for me as an international student,” she said.

Chloe plans to pursue nursing at the university level and Tara is also planning further studies in science at university.

Tara’s advice to students facing similar challenges as her and Chloe: “Remain resilient in the face of any difficulties. No matter how big the problems are, be stronger towards your goals.”