Loyalist College student Katie Iles awarded CICan’s Paul and Gerri Charette Bursary

Belleville, Ontario, December 16, 2020 – Loyalist College announced today that Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) has awarded Katie Iles, a Cannabis Applied Science student, with its Paul and Gerri Charette Bursary in the amount of $5,000.

The Paul and Gerri Charette Bursary Program provides financial support to college and institute students who demonstrate financial need, face challenges or barriers to participating in and completing postsecondary education, and who are active in their communities.

“We are so proud to see Katie’s accomplishments and contributions to our College recognized by CICan’s selection committee,” said Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President & CEO. “This bursary is a testament to Katie’s hard work, exceptional leadership as a Residence Assistant and Student Government Residence Leader, and the examples she continues to set as an engaged and caring member of our community. Knowing how important financial assistance is for empowering our students to pursue their dreams, we are so glad that this bursary will be there to help Katie achieve her career goals.”

Loyalist takes great pride in being a supportive, student-centred College in the Bay of Quinte region. The College lives and breathes its core values of caring, creativity, engaging, inclusivity, and accountability, which guide the institution. Values which Katie wholeheartedly demonstrated in March 2020 when she helped the College relocate more than 170 Residence students from its Belleville campus to local hotels. Katie was one of the Residence Assistants who moved into the hotel to ensure the well-being of Loyalist students. In hotels, students could practice safe social distancing and the College could protect their health during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Transitioning Loyalist students, who had no family or friends with whom to temporarily stay, was no small feat and the College leaned on Katie to support and implement the move.

Katie’s strong commitment to helping her peers in the face of adversity was matched with exceptional leadership. She went above and beyond to clearly communicate relocation procedures; organize the delivery of meals; reinforce health and safety protocols; and was empathetic to the specific challenges Loyalist students were encountering at such an emotional and uncertain time. Difficulties she too was confronting as a Loyalist student living in Residence.

“I am honoured to receive CICan’s Paul and Gerri Charette Bursary,” said Katie Iles. “Building on my passion for environmental sustainability and resource conservation, I aspire to use my education to make large-scale positive impacts on the climate crisis. My interest in protecting our natural environment is inspired by the memory of my mother, who shared with me her love of nature, and who passed away when I was 10 years old. This life-changing bursary is a wonderful opportunity that can open doors for students like me who would benefit from financial support to achieve their goals.”

About Loyalist College
Loyalist is Ontario’s Destination College, empowering students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. The College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. Of 2017-18 Loyalist graduates, 88.5 percent were employed within six months after graduation. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com, including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses, and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 3.7 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $382 million annually to the regional economy – based on a March 2020 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist’s Belleville, Bancroft and Toronto campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit YoureGoingPlaces.com.

– 30 –

Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing, Communications and Recruitment
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistcollege.com, 613-969-1913, ext. 2536