Celebrating student scholars

Celebrating student scholars

Recipients of Queen鈥檚 access and diversity scholarship programs gathered for a reception that offered inspiration, community building, and meaningful connection.

By Communications Staff

September 29, 2022

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Promise Scholars, Commitment Scholars, Karta Scholars, and Principal's Global Scholars gathered for a reception in Mitchell Hall.
Promise Scholars, Commitment Scholars, Karta Scholars, and Principal's Global Scholars, along with deans and staff members, gathered together during the reception in Mitchell Hall.

Queen鈥檚 has continued to demonstrate a commitment to increasing access and enhancing diversity at the university with a series of programs created in recent years, including the Promise Scholars, Commitment Scholars, Karta Catalyst Scholars, and Principal鈥檚 Global Scholars. After two years of disrupted on-campus activity due to the pandemic, Student Affairs invited all current scholars to a reception to welcome the newest recipients, forge connections among the groups, and celebrate their accomplishments. The reception took place in Rose Event Commons in Mitchell Hall.

Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Ann Tierney hosted the event.

鈥淲e are so extremely proud and excited to welcome you to the Queen鈥檚 community, and it is our hope you will feel empowered to achieve your goals as you journey through your individual experience here,鈥 said Dean Tierney. 鈥淨ueen鈥檚 is committed to enhancing access to our university and to welcoming and celebrating students who are advancing racial and social justice, and who bring a diversity of experiences and perspectives. We鈥檙e all enriched by your decision to study here at Queen鈥檚, and we thank you for choosing Queen鈥檚.鈥

Second-year Commitment Scholar Kyla Gibson also spoke; she talked about her Queen鈥檚 experiences so far and she had some advice for her peers.

鈥淭he Commitment Scholarship gave me the courage to attend this university as a Black student, and what I found was a sense of community among Black students that can only be created from the true and sincere need for unity, support, and togetherness,鈥 said Gibson. 鈥淪o on behalf of all the scholars, I鈥檇 like to thank everyone who has been involved in creating these opportunities for us. At every school there is still so much change that needs to happen, and I encourage you to uplift each other and unite in our different fields of activism so we can make Queen鈥檚 an environment for all people. So the advice I leave you with is to find the people who are willing and excited to help you. Many of them are here today, welcoming and celebrating us as passionate youth and scholars.鈥

Following the remarks, the more than fifty student attendees spent time chatting with each other, and with faculty deans and staff members involved in the programs and in student services.

Queen鈥檚 access and diversity scholarship programs

The Promise Scholars program is a comprehensive initiative designed to reduce financial barriers and increase access to Queen鈥檚 University for local, first-generation students. The program provides dedicated financial, academic, and career support to help students complete their degree. Five awards will be available each year, and there are currently 12 Promise scholars at Queen鈥檚.

The Commitment Scholars program supports diversity on campus and recognizes the significant contributions our students make to creating and supporting an inclusive community through their commitment to racial justice, social justice, and diversity in their schools, their communities and at Queen's. There are currently 22 Commitment Scholars at Queen鈥檚.

The is a partnership with the Karta Initiative that provides access to university for promising students from low-income rural communities in India. There are currently six Karta Scholars at Queen鈥檚. 

The Principal鈥檚 Global Scholars program provides students who have been forcibly displaced by war, conflict, and political instability with an admissions pathway and funding to complete their degree at Queen鈥檚. Through a long-standing partnership with the , Queen鈥檚 is welcoming two African and five Afghan students to campus this fall. In addition to our WUSC partnership, Queen鈥檚 is welcoming six students from Ukraine.