GrassRoots Growers Bursary
2023 Recipient
In 2023 our bursary program returned, after a hiatus due to the pandemic and a halt of our fundraising initiatives. The deserving recipient was Julianna Jack-Sadiwnyk, a student in the Sustainable Agriculture course at Fleming College.
“I want to extend a very big and heartfelt thank you for this award and for your donation. After high school, many years ago, I got my BA in English Literature. However, I never felt especially excited, or drawn to the subject matter. I was simply okay at completing the work, and knew I could “get that piece of paper.” After university, to pay off my OSAP debt, I got a job in Western Canada working in the Albertan oil sands where I worked for two years. I successfully paid off my OSAP and saved up some money for myself to travel and start my life. My plans were quickly changed when my brother was accepted into Melbourne Law School, but did not have the funding to go. At a young age, 24, I made a deal that I would work out West again, and pay for his education. After a turbulent, chaotic, and grueling four years of working at different construction sites throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan, I managed to pay for my brother’s education. At this point, I was closing in on 30, I was burnt out from working in construction, and I wasn’t sure which direction to take my life after moving back to Ontario permanently. After meeting my fiancé, and beginning to build a life together, I found my way back to my roots. I grew up on a beef cattle farm where the landscape and lifestyle got into my blood at a young age. I’ve always been drawn to nature and it wasn’t until starting my own small-scale, urban garden at my home in Peterborough that I realized, nurturing plants and animals is all I want to do with my time. Through the support of my fiancé and family, I went back to school and was able to devote my attention fully to the Sustainable Agriculture course at Fleming College. This course has taught me an incredible amount about farming, about myself and my drive, and has connected me with a community of people that have aided me greatly towards my future goals. I am currently working on a vegetable farm in the Bobcaygeon area (the same place where I completed my Sustainable Agriculture Co-op) while also maintaining my own urban gardens at home and feel enlivened being able to do what I love every day.”
