New bursary means two Sudbury post secondary students will have help with costs

Jamie Hopkins says she felt a huge sense of relief when she learned she would be one of the recipients of the new Brighter Minds Mental Health Bursary from the child and youth mental health agency Compass.

In her final year of high school, Hopkins says she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

"So I stayed a fifth year of high school and in that year I dropped five out of eight courses," she said.

"It definitely took a toll on my schooling and made me think that I was really being set back."

Hopkins says a youth worker at her high school helped her get back on her feet.

"He helped me through so much that no one else was able to help me through," she said.

"I attribute a lot of my successes and just the fact that I made it to graduation day to him."

That person had such an impact on Hopkins that she decided to study child and youth care at Cambrian College, in Sudbury, so she could help high school students who are struggling to graduate.

Now in her second year, the $2,500 bursary means she will be able to continue without worrying about how she'll pay her tuition.

Hopkins says she applied for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) but has not been accepted because she was unable to provide her parents' financial information.

"Unfortunately, I didn't have the best time growing up in my parents house," she said about the strained relationship.

Megan Dumais, the director of people and organizational health at Compass, says the new bursary is entirely funded by donors, including companies and different organizations in the community.

"The bursary is really an important and essential financial resource to students who are in good standing at a public college or university in the Sudbury, Manitoulin districts," she said.

"Its purpose is to support youth with being able to afford their education."

For thisfirst year, the bursary has two recipients: Hopkins and Laurentian University student Athena Grandmaison.