Scholarship Awards Program

The AHT, together with Waterbury Newton Law Firm have established a scholarship program to provide financial assistance to former residents and descendants of former Africville residents who pursue post secondary education, as well as to students who demonstrate an effort to further the purpose of the Society through community advocacy, research, publications and training. The scholarship is possible through a donation of $100,000 in seed money from the law firm, Waterbury Newton. The fund is a portion of legal fees received in the settling of an action against the former City of Halifax.

The fund will provide annual scholarships in all fields of study, provided that studies are through an accredited Canadian college or university. Applicants to the Awards Program must show proof of residency and enrolment acceptance to such accredited post-secondary institution. High school students should have their official transcripts sent via email or letter mail to Africville Heritage Trust.

This year, the deadline to apply was June 30th, 2025. If you would like more information about this program, please visit the Program Outline.

2025 AFRICVILLE HERITAGE TRUST SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Ciara Burrell-Grant

Ciara is a proud descendant of Africville who credits her family and family traditions including attending the reunion yearly as continuing the Africville legacy, through and in her. Her goals have been shaped by the Africville stories – including what it means to show up for others. Seeing how deeply connected her family is and how much they value helping one another made Ciara want to be someone who supports others in the same way. As a young child Ciara became interested in being a Doctor. This interest has grown to embody not only the science behind the medicine, but also the human side of medicine. Her educational pursuits are aligned with her long-term goal of becoming a doctor. Ciara is entering her second year of Kinesiology (Pre-Med) at the University New Brunswick, Fredericton. In short, Ciara is deeply committed to her education, her community and the legacy of Africville. 

Xavier Hill 

Xavier sees himself a proud descendant of Africville. He looks to the hard work, resilience and community grounding, as exemplified by his great-great grandfather as guiding his journey as he pursues his second year of the Bachelor of Kinesiology program at Acadia University. With a strong focus on improving health outcomes for African Nova Scotian communities, Xavier looks to become a healthcare professional – either a physiotherapist or a physician. Xavier in his submission made the point that despite spending time with many healthcare professionals over the years, he never received care from an African Nova Scotian medical provider. That absence has stayed with him, making him wonder how young African Nova Scotian children can picture themselves in these roles if they don’t see themselves reflected in them. Xavier wants to change that. 

Aaliyah Arab-Smith 

Aaliyah takes extreme pride in being a descendant of Africville stating the legacy fuels her sense of purpose and drives her commitment to community, especially as she embarks on this journey through medicine. Did I say that her career goal is to become a doctor in either family medicine and/or dermatology. And to that end, in September, Aaliyah will enter her first year of medical school (Doctor of Medicine) at Dalhousie. Aaliyah states this career is personal to her, having lost her Nana to colorectal cancer – a preventable cancer. But without access to family health history, proper screening awareness of risks and in the face of medical mistrust or feeling dismissed it becomes incredibly hard for patients to advocate for themselves. Her interest in dermatology is also fueled by closing the gap on health services for Black people. Aaliyah has the past, present and future clearly in her sights.