2020 SPRING BURSARY CYCLE: April 30, 2020 TO June 8, 2020
The Algonquin College 2020 Spring Bursaries will be open on ACSIS from April 30, 2020 to June 8, 2020. All spring semester students will be required to re-apply.
If you have any further bursary questions, send an email to bursaries@algonquincollege
Calling all students! Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus is hosting a photography contest! Rules are simple,
Submissions will be judged based on both the photo and the written explanation, so remember to include each in your entry! Both 1st and 2nd place winners will be featured in our upcoming Pembroke Campus newsletter. For those wishing to enter please email all submissions to raem@algonquincollege.com by March 6, 2020.
The Class Representative and Wybourn Awards application process are now open.
Once again, the Class Representative Award allows for three awards; one for each the Perth, Pembroke and Ottawa campuses. The Wybourn award is awarded to one student from any of the three campuses.
The submission deadline for both of these awards is Tuesday, March 10th, 2020, at 5:00 p.m.
All nominations are submitted online and the link to the page to obtain information, criteria and the online application form can be found here.
All award winners and a guest are invited to the Volunteer Appreciation Gala at the Woodroffe Campus. This is a lovely event acknowledging and thanking student volunteers. This year the Gala will be held on Tuesday, March 25, 2020.
As you review your new schedules and start to plan out your workload over the semester, you are likely considering how to manage your time, what instructors and services you may need to seek out extra support from, and which subjects and assignments you are going to need to focus more on. It is also important to consider what you may need to best support your mental health over the semester. There, unfortunately, is no “Fitbit” we can wear for our mental health, which would beep if we were at risk for psychological injury, inform us if “what if” thinking was escalating our anxiety, or congratulate us for responding vs. reacting in a situation. Until something like a “mental wellness watch” exists, we have to do this ourselves.
So, are there strategies for managing stress and anxiety that you can start to implement now so that you are less overwhelmed later during the year? I know how hard it can be to learn about strategies for stress or test anxiety when it is exam time. Would you benefit from learning about techniques to manage depression, strong emotions, and low motivation? Will establishing a connection with myself (or others) now help you if you are experiencing distress later on? Especially as the winter weather can lead to isolation, lower activity levels, and even low mood, now is an ideal time to consider what you need to maintain wellness, manage mental health, and limit the impact of mental illness and distress.
To help you start the year off right, the counselling department is continuing to launch initiatives to best support you. You can learn about strategies through the education we have in the waiting area and on the website. You can start to explore coping tools that might come in handy on hard days. I always say that “it’s easier to learn to swim when there aren’t strong waves.” You can start checking in with me to establish a relationship, learn some techniques, and just have a place to get things off your chest. Below is a reminder of the additional ways the counselling department is here to support you.
The COUNSELLING WAITING AREA is an environment for any student to come and decompress throughout the day; it is more than just a waiting area. This is a secluded space with a variety of coping items, including a weighted blanket, kinetic sand, coloring books, and a light therapy lamp (great for during these dark winter months). There are information sheets about stress, panic, and being in crisis, and there are psychoeducation packages for concerns such as depression, anxiety, and general coping. Resource lists and information about community supports are also available.
The PEMBROKE COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT WEBSITE has been updated to include many of the resources available in the waiting area. The psychoeducation packages currently available are: Stress Management; Anxiety Management; Depression Management; Coping and Distress Tolerance; and Trauma and Acute Stress. algonquincollege.com/pembroke/counselling
WIN COUNSELLING CLINICS start up this week, between 1 pm-4 pm on Tuesday, January 14th and Thursday, January 16th. WIN = What’s Important Now? These clinics will consist of 6x 30-minute same-day appointments available for students who have immediate needs they want to address, or an issue they don’t need a regular, longer appointment for. You need to sign-up the morning of, between 8 am-12 pm or you can try dropping in during the afternoon to see if a spot is still free. Information and the sign-up sheet is located in the back of Student Services, in the counselling waiting area. You can use these clinics even if you have not met with me before. Regular appointments will be available on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Posted by Shannon Sevigny, Counsellor
Community & Student Affairs, Algonquin College
1 College Way, Pembroke ON K8A OC8
T: 613-735-4700 ex. 2804
F: 613-735-8805
sevigns@alqonquincollege.com
#DidYouKnow that we offer WIN Counselling Clinics for students? WIN = What’s Important Now? These clinics consist of 6x 30-minute appointments available for students who have immediate needs they want to address, or an issue they don’t need a regular, longer appointment for. These clinics will be every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 1 pm-4 pm. Students need to sign-up the morning of, between 8 am-12 pm. Information and the sign-up sheet is located in the back of Student Services, in the counselling waiting area. Check out our Counselling resources.
The bursary application cycle will close on February 8, 2021.
You are encouraged to apply for the 2021 Winter Bursaries. 
Bursaries awarded to students are applied to the student account. If you are registered in a graduating level or are a sponsored student, a cheque will be mailed to you. You can expect to be notified of a bursary decision by email.
Students applying for bursaries will be required to have their Social Insurance Number (SIN) registered on the college system for income tax purposes.
If you cannot apply online, please email studentawards@algonquincollege.com.
Every year, Algonquin College celebrates the incredible achievements of its alumni through the Alumni of Distinction Awards. These awards honour the extraordinary contributions our graduates make to the community while achieving career success. Here is a closer look at the Recent Graduate award recipient.
Community is vital to Naomi Fong. When she speaks about her two years studying at the Pembroke Campus of Algonquin College, one of the things she highlights is the extraordinarily tight community she formed with her fellow students in the Social Service Worker program. Even now, you can hear the enthusiasm in her voice as she speaks about this special time in her life.
Originally, she planned to study in a different program at the Ottawa campus. But when she looked into becoming a Social Service Worker at Pembroke, she saw a natural fit with her interests and her personal priorities. She wanted to learn how to help others and at the same time learn more about herself. She wanted to develop the confidence to be a full contributor to group work, to stand and speak in public, and to earn her credentials.
“My studies helped me come into my own skin and be confident and tell my story safely in a way that I hope can help others,” she says.
Naomi’s story is a difficult one to hear — but one she wants you to know. The nine-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, now retired, was sexually assaulted while she was in the military. The attacks devastated her physically and mentally. One incident in particular that contributed to her Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulted in a physical injury that denied her one of her fondest wishes: to serve her country overseas. The former Bombardier is proud of her achievements in domestic operations serving Canada and the military but she says she will always regret that an overseas posting eluded her.
The assault completely altered her personal and professional trajectory. She says she went from being a proud member of the military to someone chain-smoking alone in her basement and refusing to come out into the light. It has only been gradually and with considerable help from the College and others that she has been restored to something like normal life. She describes the ongoing process as years of taking small steps in order to cope with the negative cycles that accompany PTSD.
One of her first initiatives involved taking a yoga teacher training course, where she rediscovered the sense of community she had once enjoyed in the military.
“Then I stepped into the College, and I found another community where you look at who you are and where you want to be, and there are people to help you get there academically and in terms of your mental health. I received a lot of support from my colleagues and professors and the Centre for Accessible Learning; they were there for me when I needed them.”
What the honours graduate gained through her studies, she says, now helps her tie everything together: she uses what she learned and experienced at the College in her dealings with other people when she’s speaking in public when she is making decisions about what comes next in her life.
One of those decisions after completing her diploma involved joining 39 Canadians competing in 13 sports at the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney, Australia in October 2018. The games, an international event founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, showcases the physical accomplishments of wounded and injured armed service personnel and veterans from around the world. Fong, a dedicated athlete who can be found daily at the gym, took home two bronze medals in the Women’s Road Cycling competitions, competed in three other sports, and was the Team Canada flag bearer at the opening ceremonies.
Fong says despite a disability and obstacles she is becoming “one per cent better every day.” She maintains a Facebook page promoting her values of fitness and creative expression. She says Algonquin College gave her a platform to practice making presentations and acquire confidence when speaking in public, and she believes that might provide a pathway to her next career.
“Talking about mental health and mental illness is a way forward. It’s healing for the speaker and for the listener. My education is helping me tell my story. If I can take what I learned and help others if I can help them feel safe and know they aren’t defined by their injury — maybe that will be my way to make a difference.”
ATTENTION PEMBROKE WATERFRONT CAMPUS STUDENTS!
Please find below information regarding the Women’s Initiative Network Award. Please complete this application and return to Sharon Moreau, moreaus@algonquincollege.com. The deadline for application submission is November 12, 2020.
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WOMEN’S INITIATIVE NETWORK AWARD
For First-Year Post-Secondary Students Attending the Pembroke Waterfront Campus
Terms/Criteria:
This $700.00 award is made available to ONE woman who is registered as a full-time college student in a post-secondary program. This award intends to assist a woman to gain qualifications that she needs in order to enter or to re-enter the workforce. Preference is given to those who have been absent from the school system or from the paid workforce for a period of time. Preference is also given to those who need financial support and who lack formal employment qualifications. The money will be paid directly to the Registrar in partial payment of second-semester tuition fees.
2. Applicants must demonstrate financial need as well as good academic progress. Applicants must also give permission for the committee to check on both their OSAP status and their academic standing.
“I’m having trouble making friends in college. I’ve met some cool people in class, but everyone already seems to have their own social circle. On top of that, it’s hard to coordinate schedules and find time to hang out. How do I make closer friendships?”
The paradox of college: despite literally being surrounded by thousands of peers, it can be hard to meet people. These 10 tips will increase your chances of hitting it off with a new crew of friends.
– Eliza, Counsellor
Please find below information regarding three scholarships/awards being offered. The deadline for application submission is April 5, 2019. Applications are available from Sharon in Room 215.
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THE ANGUS CAMPBELL SCHOLARSHIP
Terms
This scholarship is awarded to two students entering the second year of a post-secondary program or the third level of a non-semestered diploma program at Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley. This cash award will be awarded to two applicants who have demonstrated academic promise and financial need.
The money will be given in the recipients’ third semester.
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ANNUAL AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Terms
This cash award will be presented to a graduate at the annual Graduation Exercises.
The award will be based on the following two criteria. These two criteria will receive equal weight in the selection process.
1. Scholastic Achievement
2. Demonstrated Leadership Ability and Community Participation
Any student may apply who will graduate from a program of studies (of at least thirty weeks) by the date of the annual Post-Secondary graduation.
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THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AWARD
Terms
This cash award is granted to a student graduating from a program of thirty weeks or longer delivered at Algonquin College in the Ottawa Valley.
The award will be granted to a graduate who exemplified the greatest concern for the Algonquin College community while at the College.
Any student may apply who will graduate from a program of studies (of at least thirty weeks) by the date of the annual Post-Secondary graduation.