Because of You - Donor Report 2011

Energized for a Fresh Start
Scholarship helps a mom build a better life for her family

After ten years as a high school math teacher, Elizabeth Steinburg decided that it was time for a change. She quit her job and moved to Calgary with her husband and two daughters.

“We moved our family to Calgary for a fresh start, but found that that a fresh start maybe wasn't what we needed,” says Steinburg. “Life gave us lemons so sour that I had to just throw them out and start from scratch.”

Steinburg took a huge risk and decided to give up her career as a teacher for the world of electrical motors, transformers and digital electronics. She enrolled in SAIT’s Electrical Engineering Technology program.

Deciding to come back to school wasn't just a personal decision, it was a family decision and Steinburg knew that her student loans would not be enough to provide for her family.

“I have two young daughters, an ex-husband, a degree in Education from the University of Manitoba, and more than 30 birthdays under my belt. This made me a mature female student, single parenting away from my home province and family, while trying to break into a male-dominated, highly technical, fast-paced industry in which I have no previous experience,” says Steinburg. “There are no government programs for students like me.”

Steinburg was struggling to make ends meet when she got word that she would be receiving the CN Scholarship for Women, an award that recognizes women in a nontraditional trade, and the Norman Bakken Memorial award given to applicants who show a positive attitude.

Steinburg credits the donors who fund these awards for helping her to not only be a better student, but also a better mother to her daughters. “Your gifts help students like me,” she says. “You improve our lives, our grades, our health and our relationships with our families and our peers.”

Donors to SAIT’s student award program helped provide $3.6 million in bursaries, scholarships and awards to 4,000 students last year, removing the financial barriers that many men and women like Steinburg face when deciding to study at a postsecondary institution.

Steinburg is expected to graduate from SAIT in 2012. After that, she says she’s ready for anything. “The country is my oyster,” she says. “I would really like to find a job in the industry and I’m looking forward to being flexible with my time and money again. It’s going to be really exciting.”