SSU scholarship recipient reflects on the secret to her success

By Dylan Talbot

Raine Yuan is a fourth-year student in Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership program. She’s also a recipient of this year’s Sheridan Student Union (SSU) Scholarship Award. Raine says she is honoured to have received the award.

“This scholarship is more than money to me. It stands for my efforts and confirms my hard work,” she says. “It also means I can continue my studies without worrying about financial pressures.”

First introduced in 2021, the SSU Scholarship Award is available to two students who have a GPA of 3.8 or higher. The award is part of the SSU’s ongoing commitment to support students, including $220,000 pledged for scholarships, bursaries, and awards during the 2022–23 academic year.

“The Sheridan Student Union Scholarship Award recognizes the incredible efforts and talents of our students. I am always impressed by the hard-working students at Sheridan, and this year's recipients are certainly no exception,” says SSU President Kyle Budge. “This financial support will hopefully reduce some stress for the recipients and acknowledge the hard work they put in every day to be such outstanding students. Best of luck to these amazing students through the rest of this academic year!”

Raine says she is very grateful to the SSU for receiving the award, which will give her a chance to take her learning to the next level and use her knowledge and skills to help others in the community.

“It encourages me to keep working hard on my studies and at the same time, to try my best to help and support others, to transfer kindness and support to more people, and encourage more people to work hard on their dreams and to achieve their potential success,” she says.

“This scholarship is more than money to me. It stands for my efforts and confirms my hard work.”

– Raine Yuan

Part of being a successful student is being able to balance your school studies and work responsibilities with everything else, something Raine manages every day. Besides being a student, Raine is a mom and a wife. She not only has a high grade point average, but she also works part time and participates in extra-curricular activities. Raine says she keeps open communication with others to create a balanced schedule for study, work, and daily life. She encourages other students to keep the lines of communication open to help others better understand your situation so they can give you as much support as they can. Raine also attributes her success to being able to reach out to others.

“At Sheridan, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to ask. In this inclusive, equitable, and diverse learning environment, there are always some people who are friendly and love to help and support each other,” she says. “Another tip is to pick one task (to do) at one time. As students, when we have different courses, don't let yourself be overwhelmed by how many tasks you have. Tell yourself to pick one and get it done, then move on to the next one.”

Raine says she has also benefited from the support of her professors. “I benefit a lot from the professional learning content and the motivating and encouraging professors. In my program, there are different backgrounds, professors and classmates; they have various field experiences, professional knowledge, and skills. I learned a lot from them,” she says. “Our professors are role models. Besides teaching us professional knowledge and skills, they also shared their learning experiences and life experiences with students. Their real stories inspired me to face challenges and difficult situations and encouraged me to believe in myself.”