“Even right now I get emotional thinking about it, it’s been a lifelong dream for me.”
Nathan Cromwell-Tesfazion remembers the moment he opened the e-mail telling him he had been accepted into Dalhousie University Medical School.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Nathan says. “I was with my family, and I saw the word ‘congratulations’ and I couldn’t speak, so I passed the computer around to everyone. It was a blessing.”
Nathan begins his studies in August, but a key moment in this dream arrived back in 2023 when he received the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation Renewable Healthcare Bursary for African Nova Scotia Students. A generous donation from the J & W Murphy Foundation provides $8000 per year for up to four years for a student entering healthcare studies.
Nathan went on to work as Community Partnership Officer with the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation and completed his undergrad in Microbiology and Immunology at Dalhousie in three years.
“I received an unbelievable amount of support from the DGH Foundation, I wouldn’t be where I am without them,” he says. “They offered me employment, connected me with mentors, some of whom are physicians I’m still doing research with today. They prepared me and inspired me to be ready to apply for medical school at Dal.”
Nathan attended this year’s 2026 African Nova Scotian Bursary Recipient Celebration in the atrium of DGH, to cheer on the next generation of graduates heading off to healthcare studies.
There is a $2000 bursary provided to a student in each Dartmouth-area high school. The recipients for this year were Chidinma Akunyili from Woodlawn High School, Michshiya Hill from Auburn Drive High School, Ariana Carmel Johnson from Dartmouth High School, Salama Mwamba from Ecole Secondaire Mosaique and Jordan James from Cole Harbour High School.
The donors who make the bursary programs possible, along with the J & W Murphy Foundation, are John and Heather Fitzpatrick, BoyneClarke, Dr. Jonathan Enright, Senator Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard and other generous donors throughout the community.
This year’s recipient of the $8000 renewable scholarship was 17-year-old Shanique McFarland from Lockview High School.
“I feel happy because I’m being recognized for my achievements and I feel really appreciated by everyone here,” Shanique said, following the announcement at the bursary celebration.
Shanique has balanced strong academics, two jobs and being co-president of the Black Student Union helping to organize school events. She participated in the PLANS (Promoting Leadership in health for African Nova Scotians) program, a partnership between the DGH Foundation and Dalhousie University. Through that educational initiative she met a respiratory therapist at Dartmouth General and now plans to begin her studies in that field at Dalhousie in the fall.
“I’m empathetic for other people and I want to help everyone,”
Nathan and Shanique
Shanique says. “I’m excited and nervous because school is hard, but I know that I can do it.”
Shanique and Nathan had the chance to meet at the bursary celebration event. They also spoke with Rose Fraser, a retired Registered Nurse and deeply respected community leader. Every year an African Nova Scotian leader is recognized for having had a positive impact on healthcare in our province, and Rose Fraser is this year’s honouree.
“Every Black student right now going through medical school stands on the shoulders of those who came before us,” says Nathan. “It’s our duty to ensure that the next generation can stand on our shoulders. It’s a privilege to be here and it feels like a calling to ensure that our community can continue to advance.”
