Fanshawe announces Pathways Scholarship winners

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MEGAN ZINN
Tailer Gallerno (top), Alexandria Walker (bottom left), and Bowen Qin, this year's recipients of the Pathways Scholarships.

Fanshawe has announced the winners of this year’s Pathways Scholarships. The Pathways Scholarship is a scholarship funded by the schools that attend the Pathways Fair. It’s completely free for students to attend, but the school representatives pay a fee to go towards students’ education.

“The idea [of the Pathways Scholarships] is to take a little bit of the burden off of the students when they embark on the second journey. We know that financial support is one of the barriers for some students to continue their education,” said Gabriela Kongkham-Fernandez, the Pathways coordinator at Fanshawe.

There are three different scholarships available: The International Pathway Scholarship, the Domestic Pathway Scholarship, and the Internal Pathway Scholarship.

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Tailer Gallerno was the recipient of the International Pathway Scholarship. She just graduated from Fanshawe’s Fitness and Health Promotion diploma and transferred to the Institute of Technology Sligo in Ireland. She started year three of a Bachelor of Science Honours in Health Science and Physical Activity.

“This pathway will allow me to finish my undergrad, as well as meet people in a different country to make connections. Ultimately, this pathway will allow me to go on and complete a master’s in physiotherapy [and achieve my end goal of becoming a physiotherapist],” said Gallerno.

The recipient of the Domestic Pathway Scholarship was Alexandria Walker. After graduating from Fanshawe’s General Arts and Science Certificate, she transferred to King’s University College to complete a degree in Social Sciences.

“Deciding to go back to college at 26 was not an easy decision and with two children to raise, I was hesitant to take the leap. Fortunately, Fanshawe made the transition easy and by enrolling in the General Arts and Science Program, I was able to receive academic upgrading as well as new knowledge that was crucial to achieve a university transfer,” said Walker.

Bowen Qin was the winner of the Internal Pathways Scholarship. She graduated from Fanshawe’s Business Accounting Diploma and continued on at Fanshawe to complete her Honours Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting.

“I like the flexibility of the Fanshawe Pathway program. The Accounting diploma program opens every term so that I can take courses based on my interest and personal schedule. Now I can get a degree and courses that are qualified for CPA pre-required courses,” said Qin.

The Internal Pathway Scholarship was just launched this year to support students continuing their academics at Fanshawe.

For students wishing to learn more about the Pathways Scholarships, there is a Pathways fair on Oct. 20. The fair is virtual from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The fall fair is directed towards international, out-of-province partners only. Some partners coming to the fall fair are from institutions in B.C., Alberta, and other countries.

“Students have an opportunity to connect with partner institutions, ask questions about the pathway opportunities, application process, and so on,” said Kongkham-Fernandez.

The goal of these fairs is to show students what their options are.

“The fairs are such a great opportunity for students who think they want to continue their studies, but they’re not sure what the options are or how to do it. Students can come, it’s no pressure, no commitment, but you get to hear from these excellent partner institutions around the world,” said Caitlin Smith, the international projects and exchange coordinator at Fanshawe.

“It’s really important to have those conversations with the actual partner institution. Often, they can provide more information on what it’s like to live abroad or in that city and provide more of that student experience that our students really appreciate hearing,” said Kaitlin Marriott, Pathways and Special Events Consultant in the Lawrence Kinlin School of Business.

The Pathways Fair is a great opportunity for students, but if this one isn’t for you, there is also another fair in the winter for opportunities within Ontario. For more information, visit fanshawec.ca/pathways.