From Recovery to Opportunity: Candis Garant’s Path Through Education

The Out of the Ashes Bursary is an initiative that was created in 2007 by Leann Kopytko and her late husband, Ron Kopytko. The Out of the Ashes bursary has continued to be supported by Day One Society as an opportunity that supports individuals in recovery as they pursue education and build a path forward. By helping reduce financial barriers, the bursary creates space for people to focus on learning, stability, and long-term growth. For Candis Garant, education has become part of a much larger journey of healing, confidence, and purpose.

When Candis looks back on the moment things began to change, she does not describe it as dramatic. “I did reach a point where I became desperate enough, and I could no longer ignore the gap between the life I was living and the life I wanted for myself,” she reflects. Recovery began with small decisions: asking for help, choosing to stay, and believing she was still capable of becoming someone she could be proud of. “The first step wasn’t about suddenly feeling strong. It was about allowing myself to hope, even in a very fragile way,” she adds.

For her, it did not begin through a formal treatment program. It began when she moved away for a few months, started seeing a counsellor, attended a ceremony, and reconnected with her culture. As an Indigenous woman returning to school in her late 40s, she also brings lived experience and wisdom into her studies, something she sees as an important part of representation and learning.

School has played an important role in that process. For Candis, education offered structure, but it also helped her see herself beyond what she had survived. “For a long time, I saw myself through the lens of what I had survived or what I had lost,” Candis explains. “School challenged me to see myself instead as someone capable of learning, contributing, and growing.” That shift changed how she saw her future. It was no longer only about getting through each day. It became connected to purpose, possibility, and the understanding that her story was still being written.

Candis also found meaning in storytelling. It gave her a way to process experiences that were not always easy to say out loud and helped her reconnect with her own voice. “Writing became a way to process experiences I didn’t always know how to speak about. It gave me a place to be honest with myself,” Candis shares. Through personal reflection, creative work, and academic assignments, she began to see how difficult experiences could be shaped into something thoughtful, compassionate, and human.

Receiving the Out of the Ashes Bursary made a meaningful difference during her studies. While the financial support helped in practical ways, Candis says the emotional impact was just as important. “It felt like someone was saying: ‘We see your effort. We believe in your future,” Candis expressed. “That kind of recognition can be incredibly powerful when you are rebuilding your confidence and your life.” The bursary helped ease pressure and allowed her to focus more fully on her studies. It also helped keep her connected to a longer-term goal: building the skills, confidence, and independence needed to contribute meaningfully to the community.

Candis’s learning has also extended beyond the classroom. Travelling to Taiwan was a transformative experience that deepened her curiosity and expanded her perspective on the world. “Being immersed in a different culture taught me humility, attentiveness, and curiosity,” she mentioned. She was struck by the care people showed in everyday interactions, the respect for community, and the balance between tradition and modern life. The experience reminded her that learning can happen through conversations, relationships, and moments that challenge assumptions.

For someone who may be in the place she once was, especially someone thinking about returning to school, Candis wants them to know that it is never too late to begin again. “You do not have to have everything figured out before taking the first step. Healing and education are both imperfect, ongoing processes.” To Candis, going back to school is about more than earning a credential. “It is about rediscovering your sense of self and your capacity for change,” she shares. “Your past does not disqualify you from having a future you care about.”

At Day One Society, stories like Candis’s show that recovery can take many different paths, and that education, encouragement, and opportunity can help sustain progress over time. Through the Out of the Ashes Bursary, individuals are supported as they pursue education, rebuild confidence, and continue shaping the next chapter of their lives.