A Second Chance

A single mother of two who enrolled at U of T with the help of the Transitional Year Programme (TYP) has created a bursary to encourage others who didn’t finish school to give it another try.

The Rosemarie McGuire “You Can Do It” TYP Education Award will provide emergency financial assistance to TYP students. McGuire’s gift has been matched by the Ontario Student Opportunity Trust Fund and triple-matched by the William Waters Challenge Fund, for a total endowed contribution of $80,000. McGuire, who graduated from U of T in 2004 with a BA in employment relations, has also changed her will to include TYP as a beneficiary.

“I can’t say enough good things about my experience at U of T and particularly with the Transitional Year Programme,” says McGuire, who now runs her own human resources firm. “It really changed my life, and I feel very privileged to be in a position to give something back to the place that did so much for me.”

TYP is a full-year program for individuals who, due to difficult family or economic circumstances or other issues, did not finish high school or do not have the formal requirements to enter university. Students who successfully complete TYP are eligible to enter the first year of a post-secondary arts program.