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This spring, at 18 years old, Arista Marthyman will graduate from UVic with an honours degree in sociology and approximately 75% of her tuition covered by scholarships, many of them donor-funded. Years ago, this reality seemed far from possible.
She started college at the age of 15 before transferring to UVic. As an underage student, Arista struggled to qualify for various forms of funding. Many scholarship applications explicitly asked her to list her experiences starting from a certain age – often 16 – and consequently, made her ineligible.
Determined to complete her studies and not go into debt, she rigorously applied to as many awards as she could. It’s safe to say, this dedication paid off.
“The actual impact of these scholarships goes way beyond the financial,” she says. “There’s a sense of community that I feel knowing other people are invested and care about my success and my educational journey. That’s invaluable.”
Donor support motivated Arista to dedicate herself to academics and to give back to her community, which led to discovering new passions and inspiring her thesis.
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