Arin Bowes may be another step closer to becoming a forensic psychologist after joining 75,000 other Canadians as a recipient of a Canada Millennium Scholarship.
“It was surprising. I thought it was a joke at first,” she remarked via long distance earlier this week.
The Bear’s Pass resident, in her second year in the Bachelor of Science program at the University of Guelph, found out she was a recipient of the $3,000 scholarship for the 1999-2000 academic year over the Christmas break.
She received a letter in the mail telling her the scholarship foundation had chosen her as one of the students who would be receiving money shortly before Jan. 1.
“It will help a lot with the student loans,” she enthused, adding she would not actually be getting a cheque from the foundation but rather the $3,000 would be put against her existing government loans.
“I think it’s generous of the government,” said Bowes stepfather, Kim Kozik. “I’d like to see them do more things like this. It’s money well spent as far as I’m concerned.”
“It was a nice surprise–very unexpected,” echoed her mother, Melanie Kozik.
Bowes said she didn’t know exactly how students were picked to receive the scholarships but guessed they were chosen randomly.
Regardless, any financial help is helpful. After all, she plans to spend a number of years studying forensic psychology after getting her B.Sc.
“I want to go into that field because I find the criminal mind fascinating,” Bowes noted.
The scholarship fund, an initiative of the federal government to include young Canadians in the nation’s celebration of the new millennium, has given out more than $215 million over the past year.
The awards represent an important investment in Canada’s youth, and are intended to help students acquire the knowledge and skills they require in order to participate in a changing economy.