Legacy in action
Ashley Anderson is proof that education has the power to transform lives.
With two young sons, she left an abusive situation and lived in a women’s shelter. She was also unemployed for a time. While these were painful steps in her life, they led to her journey to NSCC in 2004 and, ultimately, her reinvention.
“When I think of what I’ve gone through to get to where I am today, it’s pretty impactful. There were many challenges and extremely difficult situations along the way,” says Ashley.
Instead of losing faith, the Wolfville native took the loss of her job as the opportunity she needed to get her post-secondary education. The Kingstec Campus was conveniently located, and the campus gave her the support she needed to dream bigger and pursue Business Administration – Financial Planning and Services.
I would definitely not be in the position that I’m in today without NSCC. I really needed to build my confidence so I could strive for something greater, and the College allowed me to do that on many different levels.
Instructors supportive, available
“There wasn’t an instructor who wasn’t supportive or open to communication or available when you needed them,” says Ashley, who graduated in 2006 and now divides her time between Halifax and Toronto as Manager of Regulatory and Professional Programs with Scotia Wealth Management.
“NSCC really gave me the platform and the opportunity to become who I was supposed to be; I wasn’t held back by all of the difficult things that had happened. It really changed my life.”
In return, Ashley has found ways to give back to others. While a student, she founded Students in Style to provide her peers with free business attire so they could attend job interviews in a professional outfit.
Market addresses barriers
Today, her idea has grown into the campus’s recently launched Kingstec Free Market. It’s a support hub for students that’s managed by the Kingstec Student Association, and offers professional clothing, food, toiletries and other essentials.
Ashley, who was on hand for the official launch of the market says, “It’s essentially providing anything a student might need to overcome barriers that could prevent them from focusing on their classes, which is amazing.”
In recognition of her success, the Kingstec grad was invited back to campus again in June. This time she was a guest on the convocation stage as an NSCC ambassador, presenting the inaugural NSCC Alumni Rising Star Award to a fellow rising star.
Fast Fact
The Alumni Rising Star Award recognizes a graduating student who embodies the NSCC alumni tradition of excellence and ambassadorship, and whose extraordinary contributions have inspired a sense of community and pride on campus.