UPDATE: Lakeland College has confirmed that the gala has been cancelled. In a Facebook post, the post-secondary cited low ticket sales as the reason for the cancellation.

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Lakeland College will once again be shining a light on its students as they prepare for this year’s President’s gala.

The college is holding their annual President’s Gala in Lloydminster with proceeds from the event going towards the Support Our Students (SOS) Enhanced Bursary Fund. 

The bursary was made in 2011 to help students fund their education costs based on their financial need. In the 2019-2020 school year, 25 students received $4,000 each from the fund including Janelle Youst.

Youst says the bursary helped her through her time in school after an injury prevented her from working in the summer.

“I tore ligaments around my ankle in a farming accident, which took about four months to heal. The amount of money I projected to save to come back to school was not even close to the amount I did save because of the work I missed. It was nerve-wracking to figure out what I was going to do for the upcoming school year. To say I was shocked about being a recipient is an understatement.”

The honour roll student says the bursary helped take her mind off of finances and let her focus completely on her studies.

“It made for a heartwarming year. I recognize how life-changing this bursary is to so many students.”

Youst is earning a double diploma in agribusiness after graduating from Lakeland’s animal science technology with a beef science major in 2019. She also has a job lined up after graduation as a feed salesperson with Branded.

The gala is student-focused with many of them contributing as MCs and servers. The President’s Gala will be held at the Lloydminster campus on March 26 with tickets for sale.