By Rory Grewar, BC Scholarship Society

Two years ago, the BC Scholarship Society announced a new award program for students transitioning from Adult Basic Education programs to full-time post-secondary studies.  The $5,000 Transition Award was designed to be low-barrier and accessible.  It is not linked to academic achievement (grades) but rather granted on the basis of a “demonstrated commitment to community service/volunteerism”, and a “clearly defined plan for the achievement of a post-secondary credential”.

The Society has allocated $500,000 (100 Awards) annually for the Transition Awards Program with an option to increase the level of funding based on need.

During its first two years, the Program has experienced limited uptake with fewer than 75 applications received in both 2022 and 2023.  (45 Transition Awards were granted in 2022 and 41 in 2023.) The Society is working to increase awareness of the Transition Award Program and to increase application and award numbers.

Basic Information and Criteria:

$5,000 awards for students completing Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs planning to enroll in full-time post-secondary studies.

The Awards are available to students who:

• have completed – or will be completing – a minimum of two Adult Basic Education (ABE) courses at a BC public post-secondary institution; and,
• are planning to enroll in full-time post-secondary studies at a BC public post-secondary institution.

Visit https://www.bcscholarshipsociety.ca/transition-award/about-this-award/ for details and to apply.

Application Deadline: May 30, 2024

Meet Kyle Hesketh – One of the recipients

Kyle Hesketh transitioned from his Adult Basic Education program to an Associate Arts Degree Program with the help of a $5,000 Transition Award from the BC Scholarship Society.

Read Kyle’s story and encourage your students to apply for one of these accessible Awards for ABE students transitioning to full-time post-secondary study.

I grew up in the little farming town of Glencoe, in southwestern Ontario. I’m definitely the black sheep in my family. While the rest of my siblings were playing hockey, I loved to read and write stories. My romance with books started at a really young age. I really enjoyed jumping between fiction and nonfiction. I remember reading Lord of the Rings as a kid, and then trying to write my own version of it. There was no limit to my imagination!

 But I never thought I could be a writer, so I took practical training in culinary arts when I was older and graduated as a chef in 2019. But in 2022, I had to walk away from that career, because of health issues, so I was left searching.  What do I do now?

 I decided to return to writing.  I found out about an open studies Creative Writing course at Selkirk College but in order to take that training, I had to take an upgraded English course first. So, I enrolled in one and found the course instructor to be very supportive of my writing ambitions and encouraged me to enroll in an Associate Arts Program.  She even pointed me in the direction of the BC Scholarship Society so that I could apply for a Transition Award for ABE students pursuing post-secondary education.   When I got the $5,000 Award, I was like, “Holy crap this is really happening.” I was in shock. It’s not every day that good stuff happens to me.

 I am really enjoying the Arts Program and have discovered my own writing style. I wrote a book during the pandemic, and had some poetry published. I think writing to me, is a way to make my own weird mark on the world; like, “Hey, I was here.” I still find it bizarre to hear how people react to stuff that was just in my head, before I wrote it down. I guess the joy for me is to create puzzles within my stories, that will grab or intrigue the reader. It’s like music when you get it right. And I love this sense of connecting with people through the stories, and hopefully moving them in some way.  It’s like holding hands with them through time and space, and our imaginations.

 Thanks to the BC Scholarship Society and the Transition Award Program for helping me pursue a new dream.