Vincent student Jason Gonsalves never met Doris Tallon, the lady known as the first lady of Humber College, but Gonsalves will always remember Tallon’s name.
The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning in Toronto, Canada decided to honour Tallon’s memory by setting up a bursary fund for Caribbean students in her name. Tallon, who died at the age of 87 in July 2009, has been described by the college as the major architect of Humber’s culture and commitment to helping international students.
Gonsalves, who leaves St. Vincent for Humber on Wednesday is the fifth local recipient of this $5,000 bursary. The bursary is controlled locally by the Humber College Alumni Association.
On Monday, President of the Humber College Alumni Association, Keith Boyea and Committee Member Willis Williams, in the presence of Michelle Gonsalves, Jason’s mother, handed over the cheque to Jason at the Joshua Centre in Arnos Vale.
Boyea said the Humber College Alumni Association seeks to assist students who are accepted at Humber, “as long as you are in line with progress and your records are good”. He added that the association has been trying to assist accepted students wherever possible.
“Doris was like a mother to a number of us when we were at the school; she had a lot of love for Vincentians and one thing she wanted to do was make sure that we were all right,” Boyea added.
Accepting the cheque, Gonsalves said he was extremely grateful to the committee for the assistance and promised to keep in touch with reports on his progress. The bursary is intended for use on things related to school including books”.
Gonsalves plans to pursue studies in finance.
Meanwhile, Williams described the bursary as, “something we are doing just to show support and chart the course forward for local students”.
He added: “We all benefitted from Humber College and we want to pass on some of that special ‘Tallon love and goodness’ to future generations.”
There are over 150 Vincentian graduates of The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning