2020 is an extraordinary year, with sudden outbreaks of epidemics having a profound impact on all sectors, and the world at large undergoing profound changes. Our foundation is located in epidemic-stricken Montreal, and it is also moving forward with improvements.
Recently, we received a thanks letter from Nia Neumann, Concordia University’s newest scholarship recipient. It reads.
To the donors of the Art Saving Life Foundation Graduate Scholarship in Creative Arts Therapy:
I would like to take the time to thank you wholeheartedly for your generosity in providing this graduate scholarship. Receiving this award means a great deal to me personally. The award represents the hard work I have put into my academic career and I am so grateful to be the recipient.
I am currently in the final year of my graduate degree in art therapy at Concordia University. I have learned an incredible amount over the course of this program and am excited to be able to contribute to the field of creative arts therapy in the future. I look forward to the remainder of this year: hopefully finishing in high academic standing and gaining valuable experience in my internship. The learning curve is steep in this program, and I have worked very hard over the past year and a half to transition into becoming the most effective, authentic therapist I can be. This award will help to alleviate some of the cost of tuition, which is extremely helpful, especially as a student from another Canadian province. In addition, it feels wonderful to be recognized for the hard work I have put into my academics.
I plan to graduate in 2020 and work towards becoming a registered art therapist, likely in my home province of Alberta. The field is still quite limited there, and I am excited at the possibility of serving my community with the powerful tools of art therapy. Additionally, I have intentions to go on to a second master’s degree in family therapy or doctoral-level studies, in order to expand my knowledge and better serve clients.
Thank you very much for your generosity. It is very significant for me as a student, and I am grateful for your support.
Warm regards,
Nia Neumann
There is power in wishing, and as long as your wish is to do something in order to be able to either help someone see the world from a different perspective, or you share something particularly interesting that you learned about, so that someone can be productive and have fun, it seems like there is a divine help in making it happen.
It’s been nearly a decade since the Art Saving Life Foundation began providing scholarships to graduate students in the Creative Arts Therapy program at Concordia University in 2011. The purpose of the scholarship is to encourage and support art therapy students with outstanding academic performance to explore and conduct research in the field of art therapy, to help them complete their studies, to give back to the community and to form a virtuous cycle.
No matter how things change, as long as you are clear about your inner goals, keep your future aspirations, and move towards your goals, vitality begins to germinate from the seed of positive thoughts in your heart, and after strengthening your will, it becomes a driving force to move forward.