Passion discovered one goal at a time

Lisa Bellano found her path and remained debt-free throughout her University Transfer studies at Douglas.

If you had asked Lisa Bellano at age 15 what her goals were, she was firmly set on art school. Today, after completing five semesters at Douglas, she is headed to SFU to complete a BA in Anthropology and has law school, a master’s degree and possibly teaching on her radar.

“I love Douglas. I have made incredible bonds with the instructors and with students through my job as a tutor at the Learning Centre. “

The road from her original plans had its share of sharp turns. Towards the end of high school, Bellano discovered a passion for law. She learned she could earn credits at Douglas that could transfer to university at a significantly lower cost.

“In the two years I have been here, many of my friends have been at university and they have significant amounts of debt. I don’t have any debt at all,” she says.

Initially, Bellano enrolled in Legal Studies, and then transferred to the Criminology Program. However, as she started to consider her job options in criminology, Bellano had an epiphany. “The careers appealed to me in theory, but I couldn't imagine myself as a police officer or corrections personnel,” she says. She had discovered anthropology and realized she could connect it with the careers that were of interest to her.

“I’m interested in international law, refugee and human rights. Anthropology appeals to me because it’s a holistic discipline, so I decided to choose it as my major at SFU,” Bellano explains.

Working as a tutor at the Learning Centre at Douglas, she also began to make parallels between her knowledge and her new direction. “I've gained so much experience working with international and foreign students, ultimately serving to prepare me for a potential future in anthropology. I've also met a lot of great people, all of whom are extremely bright and have become great friends.”

She admits that her positive experience at Douglas makes it hard to leave. “Anthropology is a small department, so I had a few of my teachers more than once.  I chose my courses because of those teachers.”

Bellano credits her favourites with helping her to realize her potential. “In high school, I hadn't considered academia as a course of action. Teachers like Tim Patterson inspired me greatly, encouraging me to pursue an academic life,” she says.

Bellano’s focus resulted in earning several scholarships, including the Honourable William M. Hamilton Scholarship granted by SFU and worth $10,000, along with the Brodie Osborne-Campbell Memorial Scholarship given to Douglas Criminology students with a minimum GPA of 3.5.

Bellano advises high school students who are uncertain of what they want to do to set short-term goals. “Even if you know your goals are going to change, it's important to set them. You don't need to know exactly what you want to do yet.”

Links:

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University Transfer - Anthropology
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