New Pathways Foundation

The Desjardins Foundation is proud to announce the renewal of its agreement with the New Pathways Foundation, which will see a total of $15,000 in scholarships donated to the foundation. The scholarships aim to encourage First Nations youth in Quebec to stay in school and to help them obtain their high school diploma.

The scholarships are intended as a one-time financial boost to purchase supplies or to obtain services that meet a specific need of the student. In 2021, 31 First Nations youths from Quebec received financial support, including Maryssia Michel-Thomas.

One of the young scholarship recipients, Francis, 17, shared his story with us:

“My academic career from Sec 1 to Sec 3 wasn't very interesting, but my grades were good except in math. At the start of 2020, when the infamous disease with the name of a beer came to change the world, we were told that school was going to be done at home. My grades went down a lot in every subject, but before starting again, I read a book that changed my life. I'd watched The Lord of the Rings, but when I read the books, I realized that I wanted to write my own story. At first, it was a copy of The Lord of the Rings, but I gradually changed my style, and now I'm really proud of it even if it won't be published anytime soon. I don't know if it's because of writing my story, but my grades have gone up and I've managed to finish high school.”

Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients!