51吃瓜

Their backgrounds are extremely different. Their experiences could not be further apart. But聽Chantal Peng聽(2L) and聽Evan Paulse聽(3L) both faced the same barrier: the steep price of law school tuition.

Evan Paulse never expected to be in law school. As a high school student, he struggled with reading and writing. Against the odds, he completed an undergraduate degree at UBC in politics, philosophy and economics, but struggled to find work. He had experience working as a construction laborer but didn鈥檛 see himself in that industry long-term. 鈥淚鈥檇 always had a passion for storytelling and philosophy and engaging with other people,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 applied to law school as a way of getting out. It was a way of [securing] a professional career afterwards.鈥� He jokes that his collar has gone from blue to white.

Education as 鈥榯he great equalizer鈥�

Long-distance family

To make his vocation even more personal, Paulse and his long-distance partner welcomed a baby girl earlier this year. She and her mother live in Peru while Paulse finishes his law degree and supports them from afar. 鈥淭he financial assistance allowed me to fly down to Peru and be there when my daughter was born,鈥� Paulse says. 鈥淭hat was really important to me.鈥�

The scholarship alleviated some of Paulse鈥檚 financial burden and has had ripple effects for his new family. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not so much that it helps me directly; it鈥檚 more that I鈥檒l be able to pass on to my daughter greater opportunities and greater prosperity much sooner,鈥� he says. Paulse emphasizes that you never know what is going on in someone else鈥檚 life, and even the smallest gifts can have a big impact on students. 鈥淚t allows [recipients] to live with greater freedom and autonomy.鈥�

From music to law

Chantal Peng, a 2L student, agrees. Peng studied music at Acadia University before law school. 鈥淎s a piano major, I really enjoyed performing, but I particularly loved meeting new people and making connections,鈥�

she explains. 鈥淚 decided to go to law school to tie everything together: people, culture, and social advocacy, which the Schulich School of Law is known for,鈥� she says, referencing the school鈥檚 mandatory courses on Indigenous law and African Nova Scotian relations.

Even though Peng knew she wanted to attend law school, she still had to figure out how to make it a reality. Before she received funding, she was living in a constant state of stress and fear, trying to figure out where she would get the money to pay for the rising costs of tuition, books, housing, food and transportation.

Threefold benefit of funding

Equity serves everyone

Peng鈥檚 musical and social justice background has intersected with her legal education in myriad ways. She says she is most interested in learning about the ways the Canadian legal system is grappling with Indigenous self-governance and recognition of racialized groups. 鈥淎s a racialized person myself who is entering the legal field, these courses help inform my decision-making to better support BIPOC groups,鈥� Peng says. 鈥淚 plan on using my legal career to give back to the community, whether that鈥檚 through fundraising, [organizing] informative legal events or volunteering.鈥�

Both Peng and Paulse say they plan to give back when they鈥檙e able. 鈥淚 think it is important to continue the Weldon tradition of unselfish public service, where you use your skillset and financial security to help others,鈥� Peng says.

Paulse agrees and says the advantage of making law school available to more students is far-reaching. 鈥淪ocial mobility, innovation 鈥� it all depends on high-quality education being available to everyone.鈥�