I am honoured and blessed for the opportunity to teach, learn, live, work, research, and share knowledge on the traditional lands of the Snuneymuxw First Nation. This paper is set within the context of my position as a Financial Aid Access Specialist in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where I provide individualized, wrap-around, and relationship-based supports to former youth in care accessing the Tuition Waiver Program (TWP) at Vancouver Island University. As an M.Ed.student, I have been able to put into practice what I have learned to enhance my role as advocate, listener, advisor, and positive role model. In this paper,I claim that COVID-19 has imposed many changes in course delivery (e.g., online, hybrid, and face-to-face), impacting the ways in which TWP students adapt to online learning and intensifying an already complicated learning experience. Although online delivery has its advantages, TWP students are presented with a barrage of challenges, creating greater gaps in the digital divide,and adding to the stigma of being in care. I make this claim because post-secondary institutions have a responsibility to address institutional gaps through the provision of appropriate supports to meet the diverse needs of TWP students within an increasingly digital world. As institutions develop strategies to ensure the health and safety of students, staff, and faculty amidst the pandemic, they should also prioritize access to technology and relevant supports for TWP students in efforts to increase equity and access to education. This paper urges post-secondary institutions to prioritize targeted supports and services to increase access to digital resources and promote valuable learning outcomes.For these reasons, I advocate for an individualized, wrap-around, relationship-based approach when providing supports and services to TWP students to foster independence, connection, resilience, accessibility, and meaningful post-secondary learning experiences.
