Entrepreneurship and equity
Entrepreneurship and equity are key pillars in supporting our student and alumni community, helping them thrive. Thanks to your generosity, NSCC Alumni Relations has supported various initiatives in both areas.
Entrepreneurship
- Hosted NSCC’s fifth annual Ask a Black Entrepreneur Panel.
- Sponsored tuition for the Start-Up Accelerator Program, designed exclusively for and offered to alumni entrepreneurs.
- Sponsored tuition for the first and second offerings of the Entrepreneur in the Making (EITM) Black and African Nova Scotian Cohort, in partnership with alumni entrepreneur Tia Upshaw (ALP '06) of Blk Women in Excellence.
- Continued our annual Shop NSCC programming that supports and promotes NSCC alumni businesses throughout the holiday season with a curated list of gift ideas from talented alumni across the province.
Equity
- Continued to fund reprint costs for Mi'kmaq and Indigenous alumni who want to have their credentials translated into the Mi'kmaw language.
- We sponsored $7.5K for Spark Creativity, a fundraising event that showcases works by NSCC students and alumni in the creative industry. All proceeds go to the Spark Creativity Fund, which supports students from communities underrepresented in the creative sector.
- Granted $1,000 for an event hosted by NSCC's Black and African Nova Scotian Employee Resource Network.
- Funded a film screening event on Sylvia D. Hamilton (Honourary Diploma '02) at Ivany Campus for students and alumni.
- Covered costs for Kente Clothes and Medicine Pouches as part of our Convocation funding.
Empowering women in male-dominated fields
- Sponsored and supported Team Canada WorldSkills Competitor Olivia Sewell (Culinary Management ‘23) for her competition in September 2024 to take on the world in cooking at the WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France.
- Sponsored $3K for alum Katie MacIntosh (Survey Technician ’08, Geomatics Engineering Technology ’09, Marine Geomatics ‘10) in 2025 to participate in Sea Women Expedition to Antarctica 2026, an all-female leadership, ocean research, and STEM advocacy initiative.
$21K
In tuition sponsorship for Start-up Accelerator Program.
$18K
In tuition sponsorship for female entrepreneurs for the EITM Black and African Nova Scotian Cohort.
12
Alumni-owned businesses promoted annually through Shop NSCC.
Paul Adams Jr. (Applied Communication Arts '07, Graphic Design '14) Owner, Adams Photography Panelist, 2024 Ask a Black Entrepreneur Panel
NSCC credential in Mi'kmaw language, now available to Mi'kmaq and Indigenous students.
Tia Upshaw (ALP '06) CEO and Founder, Blk Women in Excellence Partner, EITM Black and African Nova Scotian Cohort
Natalie Lynn (Recording Arts '13, Music Arts '15) Loviet (stage name), Musician Headliner, Spark Creativity 2025
Oliva Sewell (Culinary Management '23) Medallion of Excellence, 2024 WorldSkills Competition Alum, Akerley Campus
Entrepreneurship and equity
Entrepreneurship and equity are key pillars in supporting our student and alumni community, helping them thrive. Thanks to your generosity, NSCC Alumni Relations has supported various initiatives in both areas.
Entrepreneurship
- Hosted NSCC’s fifth annual Ask a Black Entrepreneur Panel.
- Sponsored tuition for the Start-Up Accelerator Program, designed exclusively for and offered to alumni entrepreneurs.
- Sponsored tuition for the first and second offerings of the Entrepreneur in the Making (EITM) Black and African Nova Scotian Cohort, in partnership with alumni entrepreneur Tia Upshaw (ALP '06) of Blk Women in Excellence.
- Continued our annual Shop NSCC programming that supports and promotes NSCC alumni businesses throughout the holiday season with a curated list of gift ideas from talented alumni across the province.
Equity
- Continued to fund reprint costs for Mi'kmaq and Indigenous alumni who want to have their credentials translated into the Mi'kmaw language.
- We sponsored $7.5K for Spark Creativity, a fundraising event that showcases works by NSCC students and alumni in the creative industry. All proceeds go to the Spark Creativity Fund, which supports underrepresented communities in the creativity industries
- Granted $1,000 for an event hosted by NSCC's Black and African Nova Scotian Employee Resource Network.
- Funded a film screening event on Sylvia D. Hamilton (Honourary Diploma '02) at Ivany Campus for students and alumni.
- Covered costs for Kente Clothes and Medicine Pouches as part of our Convocation funding.
Empowering women in male-dominated fields
- Sponsored and supported Team Canada WorldSkills Competitor Olivia Sewell (Culinary Management ‘23) for her competition in September 2024 to take on the world in cooking at the WorldSkills Competition in Lyon, France.
- Sponsored $3K for alum Katie MacIntosh (Survey Technician ’08, Geomatics Engineering Technology ’09, Marine Geomatics ‘10) in 2025 to participate in Sea Women Expedition to Antarctica 2026, an all-female leadership, ocean research, and STEM advocacy initiative.
$21K
In tuition sponsorship for Start-up Accelerator Program.
$18K
In tuition sponsorship for female entrepreneurs through the EITM Black and African Nova Scotian Cohort.
12
Alumni-owned businesses promoted annually through Shop NSCC.
Paul Adams Jr. (Applied Communication Arts '07, Graphic Design '14) Owner, Adams Photography Panelist, 2024 Ask a Black Entrepreneur Panel
NSCC credential in Mi'kmaw language, now available to Mi'kmaq and Indigenous students.
Tia Upshaw (ALP '06) CEO and Founder, Blk Women in Excellence Partner, EITM Black and African Nova Scotian Cohort
Natalie Lynn (Recording Arts '13, Music Arts '15) Loviet (stage name), Musician Headliner, Spark Creativity 2025
Oliva Sewell (Culinary Management '23) Medallion of Excellence, 2024 WorldSkills Competition Alum, Akerley Campus