The PREP Academy received a major boost in funding from the Jeannine Deveau Achievement Fund to help remove barriers to post-secondary education for African Nova Scotian students. The gift of $530,000 will help support 335 students over the next two years.
In addition to supporting hundreds of African Nova Scotian students through PREP’s college and university preparation programming, this gift will support $45,000 entrance and graduating awards for NSCC and The PREP Academy students. This generous gift will also enable PREP to expand and initiate program delivery outside of HRM.
Jeannine Deveau dedicated her financial success to helping close the gap for African Nova Scotians and Indigenous students pursuing post-secondary education. The PREP Academy is helping carry out her legacy by teaching high school students about college and university options, educational goal setting and planning, scholarships and bursaries, college and university level expectations and much more!
“We are so inspired by the generosity of the Jeannine Deveau Achievement Fund,” said Ashley Hill, Founder and Executive Director of The PREP Academy. “We can begin to reach students outside of HRM and continue to provide financial support for their education – these are two critical pieces of the puzzle!”
Applications for The Possibilities Award and NextLevel Student Scholarship Award are currently open. They will be available for African Nova Scotian students entering their first year of NSCC from high school or graduating from NSCC and transitioning to a university to complete their 2+2 program. Preference will be given to students enrolled in The PREP Academy’s programs.
The Possibilities Award is open to full-time students who will be enrolled in the 1st year of any NSCC program at any campus. Five students will be awarded a $4,000 scholarship to support their entry into their first academic program at NSCC. The deadline to apply for this award is June 9, 2023.
NextLevel Student Scholarship Award is open to full or part-time students graduating from an NSCC program this spring and transitioning to a university to complete their 2+2 program. Five students will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship to support their university education. The deadline to apply for this award is May 26, 2023.
About Jeannine Deveau
Jeannine Deveau was one of five children born in Arichat, Nova Scotia. Growing up, Jeannine played and shared meals with African Nova Scotian and Indigenous children in Arichat who accompanied their parents when they came to town for work. While enjoying her time with these friends, she did not understand why they did not attend school and had fewer opportunities than her.
Education was important to her family, so she continued to post-secondary education, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Francis Xavier University and a master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of Toronto. Her schooling led her to a career spanning over 30 years with the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal as a Nutrition Professor.
Before Jeannine Deveau’s passing, she read widely on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and about the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children. She was aghast at the lack of humanity displayed towards African Nova Scotian and Indigenous children, and could not reconcile their historical maltreatment with her sense of fairness. She recalled her childhood playmates in Arichat, unable to attend school, and urged her nephew-in-law, Bill Gunn, to use her money to close the gap and provide greater access to education for students of African Nova Scotian and Indigenous descent. Today, her philanthropic vision has supported awards at various post-secondary institutions to achieve this goal.
About The PREP Academy
The PREP Academy is a community-based non-profit organization that inspires and prepares African Nova Scotian high school students for college, university and beyond. We coach students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 to plan, prepare and pursue college and university – and continue to provide wraparound support as they navigate their education and transition into their chosen careers.
The PREP Academy supports Indigenous African Nova students. We define this as students who were born in Nova Scotia, are descendants of African Nova Scotian parents or grandparents and have ties to the historic and original 52 land-based African Nova Scotian communities. African Nova Scotians have traditionally been economically disadvantaged in Nova Scotia, and have faced systemic difficulties accessing a higher education. African Nova Scotian students today continue to experience barriers and challenges in accessing a higher education.
NextLevel Student Scholarship Award: https://nscc.academicworks.ca/opportunities/4484
The Possibilities Award: https://nscc.academicworks.ca/opportunities/4088
