YouAlberta
As someone who was the first in their family to go to college and had no opportunities to receive education guidance, I never had the awareness or courage to apply to scholarships, stipends or awards before I came to University of Alberta. As a soon-to-be graduate from the Medical Sciences PhD program, with a specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology, in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, I am reflecting on my experiences and all the support I have received that made my journey as a graduate student possible.
I am an international student from Lebanon and Ukraine, and with ongoing crises in both my countries of origin, I had to seek out education abroad. I enrolled as a M.Sc. student in Fall 2016 with support from the Maternal and Child Health Scholarship Program, which has provided me ample guidance, financial support and networking opportunities. After spending two years in my M.Sc. program, I realized I had so much more I wanted to contribute to pregnancy research–but transitioning my program into a PhD required financial support. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and my research supervisor encouraged me to apply to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research's (FGSR) U of A Graduate Recruitment Scholarship. My application was successful and I received the scholarship for two years! This award enabled me to successfully transition into my PhD program with a security of having part-time financial support.
After receiving that award, I started reading the FGSR newsletter every week and looking out for any awards or scholarships I could apply for. I was consistently applying to all of those that I was eligible for! I received many rejections, and those were often hard to navigate. But, I quickly realized that a high level of rejections, in reality, is a huge accomplishment. It is representative of a person who is trying and a person who is fighting for success. Soon enough, I received the U of A Graduate Fellowship award and received the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship twice, which complimented my recruitment award and covered my full stipend!
With my whole stipend covered with the support of FGSR, I had more time and flexibility to be fully immersed in research and to explore a variety of professional development opportunities in my career. I joined various conference and hiring committees, developed mentoring relationships, and volunteered for public outreach events. It was a hard but fulfilling experience and I was able to take advantage of every opportunity I got.
In 2020 however, the pandemic put a big strain on my graduate studies, delayed my experiments and delayed my graduation date. Like many others, I was worried about finishing on time, and about being able to publish my research before I graduate and my financial support comes to an end. When I saw the FGSR respond to the pandemic by issuing a U of A Graduate Completion Scholarship, I quickly applied explaining my need for extending my studies. I was given the award! That allowed me to have enough time to complete the delayed experiments and publish my primary research paper and submit a second one for publication.
As restrictions were lifted and conferences resumed, I was able to attend an international conference with immense support from an FGSR Graduate Travel Award. With this award, I was able to network with new collaborators that are instrumental in carrying my projects forward.
The FGSR scholarships and awards provided me with so much support and were instrumental for me to seek my education and training in circumstances and at a caliber I would not have had elsewhere. These awards enabled me to continue my studies, made me competitive for other awards, and boosted my CV for job opportunities!
As I near the end of my PhD degree, I would advise all students to set alerts for newsletters and read through all the funding opportunities. I would encourage students to apply whenever they qualify, even if the award seems to them like it’s far out of reach. No award is too small or too big for you! I would also encourage students to seek out advice and support from their department and supervisor. This will help them tailor their CV and experiences to the awards they are applying for, thereby increasing the chances of success.
Good luck!