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The reality, he knows, is something else entirely.

Behind each moment in the water is preparation, equipment, and focus — invisible in the frame but making everything else possible.

For Angele, that work of staying steady is deeply personal. “This past academic year has been filled with growth and accomplishment,” he says. “I successfully balanced a challenging course load while navigating the additional challenges of dyslexia.”

For many Dal students with disabilities, university life can feel much the same. What others see is participation and progress. What often goes unseen is the planning, persistence, and added cost that can accompany learning, access, and daily life on campus.

Originally from Squamish, B.C., Angele spent time in his high school years in Belize, volunteering with marine conservation organizations and developing an early connection to ocean research. Angele is taking a full course load while working in the Department of Oceanography, where he contributes to research on kelp ecosystems using photogrammetry. This technique uses photographs from multiple angles to create accurate 2D or 3D models. He also serves as a photographer for his lab.

Angele describes this period of his studies as a balancing act, one shaped by both ambition and adaptation. He has noted that the support he received allowed him to stay focused on both his research and his long-term goal of building a career in marine science. His academic path, like his time underwater, depends on the ability to stay steady in an environment that constantly shifts. And that path has been significantly steadied for him by his receipt of a Johnson Scholarship Foundation Bursary.

Understanding the support

At H����, donor-funded awards and bursaries form part of a broader network of accessibility services and financial assistance designed to reduce barriers to participation and persistence in higher education. The Johnson Scholarship Foundation Bursary, designated for students with disabilities and demonstrated financial need, is one example of how targeted support can help students remain enrolled and engaged.

Students registered with accessibility services may require academic accommodations, assistive technology, or flexible learning arrangements. While government and institutional funding provide a foundation, donor support often helps address the gaps that remain, especially when financial pressures and disability-related barriers intersect.

Together, these efforts form a network of support that reaches beyond individual programs and helps shape the culture of the university itself.

Space to focus, space to give back

Across campus, that same need for steadiness shows up in different ways.

For Gordon Gillis, a first-year computer science student, donor-funded support meant relief from the constant calculation of whether he could afford to keep going.

The moment I first saw that I’d received the bursary, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. — Gordon Gillis.

For others, the impact shows up in how they spend their time. Hannah Daley, who plans to transition into nursing, is able to volunteer weekly through Dal’s SPRING program. SPRING pairs university students with children of varying abilities in the community for gym and pool sessions that foster physical activity, social interaction, and friendship. There, Daley works one-on-one with a child, building connection, while gaining hands-on experience in a community setting. Michelle McLeod, a psychology student planning to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist, has been able to pursue unpaid opportunities that build experience for graduate school.

Staying the course

For Angele, that steadiness has been shaped by both personal effort and donor support.

Angele says he’s deeply grateful to the Johnson Scholarship Foundation; its support meant he could continue to focus on his studies at Dal and explore opportunities that are shaping his future.

Back underwater, Angele’s camera captures a moment of stillness. A diver suspended between surface and seafloor. A stingray resting in the sand. Scenes that demand patience, awareness, and steady control. For him, and for many students across H����, the parallel is clear. The challenges remain. What changes is the ability to meet them with steadier footing.

“One day,” says Angele, “I hope to pay it forward by supporting future students in the same way I’ve been supported.”