Alumni Profile
College of the North Atlantic
Samantha Fitzpatrick
Fry Family Foundation Leadership Achievement Award, 2016-17
Fry Family Foundation Leadership Achievement Award, 2016-17
It has been ten years since I won a Fry Family Foundation Leadership Achievement Award at College of the North Atlantic (CNA), but the story of how I got there starts long before.
At 20 years old, I started university in Winter semester after taking a year to work and sort through finances. I enrolled at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, in beautiful Corner Brook.
My time at Grenfell instilled in me civic responsibility. Outside of classes, I found community through volunteerism. It was easy to forge strong connections, because the same core group of students was involved in all the grassroots initiatives around campus. We ran the independent magazine, hosted community events, raised money for global aid, shone a light on environmental issues, championed the arts, and fought for the rights of marginalized groups. And we did all this on top of a full course load and working part-time jobs.
While completing my degree, I spent a semester in St. John’s where I worked at the Froude Avenue Community Centre. There, I witnessed long-time volunteers investing their time and their care into building bright futures for every child that walked through the door. Again, a small group of dedicated individuals were working together for the benefit of a whole community.
Shortly after graduating from university, I enrolled at CNA. By that time, I had spent years volunteering with organizations from Canada to the UK. As passionate as I was about community work, I was tired. I spoke with other volunteers then and since, and the burnout they face is real. Many start doing community work as young adults and continue through adulthood. Quietly, behind the scenes, these volunteers give 110% and, often, still feel it isn’t enough.
Students need financial support to succeed. What Fry Family Foundation gives to its award recipients, though, is more than financial. Looking back on the Leadership Achievement Award, I am reminded of Corner Brook and our small but mighty group of volunteers, the deserving children at the Froude Avenue Community Centre, and the countless post-secondary students who rely on the generosity of donors. Winning that Leadership Achievement Award ten years ago gave me the momentum to carry on. It reminded me of what mattered. And while volunteers don’t do it for the praise, recognizing their efforts can go a long way in encouraging them to persist, reminding them they are enough, and inspiring others to get involved.
Today, I’m proud to work at CNA as Manager of Creative Content. I get to see how students’ lives are benefited by organizations like the Fry Family Foundation, and I get to help share their stories.
It has been ten years since I accepted my award, and I am still a part of the Fry Family community. Because community is what matters.
Samantha
At 20 years old, I started university in Winter semester after taking a year to work and sort through finances. I enrolled at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, in beautiful Corner Brook.
My time at Grenfell instilled in me civic responsibility. Outside of classes, I found community through volunteerism. It was easy to forge strong connections, because the same core group of students was involved in all the grassroots initiatives around campus. We ran the independent magazine, hosted community events, raised money for global aid, shone a light on environmental issues, championed the arts, and fought for the rights of marginalized groups. And we did all this on top of a full course load and working part-time jobs.
While completing my degree, I spent a semester in St. John’s where I worked at the Froude Avenue Community Centre. There, I witnessed long-time volunteers investing their time and their care into building bright futures for every child that walked through the door. Again, a small group of dedicated individuals were working together for the benefit of a whole community.
Shortly after graduating from university, I enrolled at CNA. By that time, I had spent years volunteering with organizations from Canada to the UK. As passionate as I was about community work, I was tired. I spoke with other volunteers then and since, and the burnout they face is real. Many start doing community work as young adults and continue through adulthood. Quietly, behind the scenes, these volunteers give 110% and, often, still feel it isn’t enough.
Students need financial support to succeed. What Fry Family Foundation gives to its award recipients, though, is more than financial. Looking back on the Leadership Achievement Award, I am reminded of Corner Brook and our small but mighty group of volunteers, the deserving children at the Froude Avenue Community Centre, and the countless post-secondary students who rely on the generosity of donors. Winning that Leadership Achievement Award ten years ago gave me the momentum to carry on. It reminded me of what mattered. And while volunteers don’t do it for the praise, recognizing their efforts can go a long way in encouraging them to persist, reminding them they are enough, and inspiring others to get involved.
Today, I’m proud to work at CNA as Manager of Creative Content. I get to see how students’ lives are benefited by organizations like the Fry Family Foundation, and I get to help share their stories.
It has been ten years since I accepted my award, and I am still a part of the Fry Family community. Because community is what matters.
Samantha