Student Stories
Since the Grant program was initiated in 2012, we have received thank you calls, cards and emails from the students. As our supporters, we wanted to share some of these notes of appreciation with you. Below we’ve presented a couple of thank you notes given to us to share with you by the students:
“First and foremost I would like to thank you for your generosity. I am very honored to be a recipient of Neekoo ‘s grant. I’m currently finishing my second year at Capilano University studying accounting and finance. Upon finishing my degree in two years, I am hoping to continue my education and become a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).
I am currently working as a personal caregiver to a mentally and physically disabled young adult. Being a Neekoo Grant recipient has allowed me to focus more on school and give back to my community. During the last year, I joined, and help to create Bully Busters, which was part of the United Way campaign at Capilano University.
Like many students, I have had barriers and challenges to overcome to get to this point in my life, including being raised in a single-parent home. My mother has gone beyond her powers to provide my sister and I with the best life. Her strength and willpower, motivate me every day to continue my education and achieve my goals, so I can show her that all her hard work has paid off. Receiving this grant meant that I am one step closer to achieve my goals.
Once again thank you for your generosity. Your contribution has had a huge impact on my education and my future, and I will work hard to honor your kindness.”
Sogol
Maryam
“With your financial and moral support, I was able to successfully complete my first year at UBC. Your donation relieved me and my family’s economic stress and worries and allowed me to focus on studying, instead of being worried about how I can pay my tuition fees.
Growing up as a child, I and my parents were a low-income family and we were on welfare. During childhood, my parents couldn’t afford many of the things I like, thus at a young age, I become familiar with the value and importance of wealth. So I do understand the value and importance of your financial assistance.
The Neekoo organization and their donors have lifted a great burden off of our shoulders and have relieved us of a lot of stress, especially from my dad. With your help, a brighter future lays ahead of me. You have all brought joy to my family.
No words can amount our gratitude to the Neekoo Charity. Because you helped me in my time of need and helped me in a critical point in my life, I am forever in your debt. From now on, I know myself as a member of the Neeko community and hopefully, one day soon, I can give back.”
Ramyar
“As the recipient of the Neekoo grant, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the tremendous support that your organization has provided me through this grant.
To me, this grant empowers me to become a well-rounded individual, but more importantly, it gives me the opportunity to give back to my community and help others. Ever since I was in high school I have been an active member of my community but throughout the past year this has been very limited due to financial barriers. However through this grant, I was given this year, I was able to continue supporting Iranian Canadians in this community, take courses to enhance my education and become one step closer to pursuing my dream of becoming a surgeon.
Currently, I volunteer at two hospitals Vancouver General Hospital and St. Paul’s working with patients and getting a better understanding of the healthcare environment and setting. This experience is crucial because as a future physician it is important to be comfortable, and without this grant, I would not have been able to get this valuable experience.
Additionally, this grant enabled me to take courses that I would not have been able to afford. This is crucial as I want to apply for medicine as fast as possible and being able to take more courses makes me closer in accomplishing my goal and dreams.
Thank you again for establishing this award. I hope that one day I could have a chance to help others, as you have helped me.”
Sepehr
“I’d like to start by thanking you for making the decision to donate towards the fulfillment of many dreams. As one of your recipients I have often reflected on how difficult it can be to decide where to spend one’s generosity, or which future to invest in, with money that has often not been earned easily. It is an honor to experience this generosity; sometimes difficult to believe even. What is perhaps most beautiful is to know that by giving what you have given, you have become a role model to us, and have passed down a legacy that each of us will follow in his or her own way.
I’d like to thank you for something different. Thank you taking a heavy weight off of my parents’ shoulders. I often feel that we children take up so much of our parents’ lives that any relief to them is many times more valuable that relief to us. I’m so glad that they have had one less thing to worry about this year.”