Scholarship story – discovering a passion for figure skating

Scholarship story – discovering a passion for figure skating

For one of our Mentors, figure skating is a passion that they have fostered through spending the time learning how to ice skate. They first applied for a scholarship in January 2023 to receive a six-month “Gold Freestyle Pass” that would allow them to begin their journey of becoming a figure skater, compete in competitions and hopefully one day teach kids how to figure skate. They had written an amazing application letter that outlined everything they are doing to achieve their goals and how much this scholarship would mean to support them.

After the six-month pass had completed, the Mentor reapplied for another scholarship to continue their figure-skating journey. They told the Cottage Programs Team how much they had improved and that the original scholarship had helped them so much in achieving certain goals. In addition, they shared just how much joy they get when they are skating on the ice. They also spoke of how the figure-skating lessons were helping with their mental health, particularly through some very difficult times. The Programs Team were delighted that the scholarship had been so beneficial for them and had no hesitation in approving their new application.

For their family, the scholarships have been a big support as figure-skating lessons are very expensive and they already pay a lot in equipment and other fees for their child to achieve their dreams. Their mother has spoken to the Programs Team about how much the scholarships have helped their child through difficult times – especially through building resilience and determination – and is so proud of their commitment to wanting to improve themselves through something they love.