Sarah Pickup and Sons
By: Jenna Hobin, B.A. Hons
Giving Insight Spring 2022 Edition
“Carleton has been a huge part of my life, and the lives of many of my friends and family members,” says Sarah Pickup. “I see the value of helping students access post-secondary education as it can expand career opportunities, skills and your direction in life.”
As an alumna of Carleton University and Algonquin College, Sarah Pickup’s dedication for continual learning is reflective in her own journey. Following her graduation from Algonquin College’s Business program, Sarah started a full-time career in the travel industry—one that she continued while pursuing a part-time Bachelor of Arts degree as a mature student at Carleton.
With a diploma and degree under her belt, Sarah didn’t stop there. After pausing her career aspirations when she became a new mother to care for her three young sons, Sarah went back to school to attend a Practical Nursing program and has been practicing as a community nurse in Ottawa for over a decade.
It is Sarah’s value for education that led her to contact Carleton’s planned giving team to discuss arranging a gift in her will to establish the Pickup Best Family Bursary—an award in support of undergraduate students in financial need pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree or any degree program within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. As Sarah, two of her closest friends, Peggy and Wendy, her eldest son, her son’s father, and her brother are all proud Carleton alumni, Sarah named the award to honour her family’s commitment to help enhance the lives of others through higher education.
In addition to sharing an alma mater with her eldest son, James Best, they also share a passion for philanthropy. For Sarah, she felt it was important to involve James in her bequest to reinforce the importance of giving back in hopes it inspires the next generation to consider doing something similar in the future.
It is doing just that as James—a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Commerce program and former bursary recipient—is proud to be part of extending the same opportunities he had to others. As he says, “When I was a student, I received a bursary and it felt like the cherry on top as Carleton already provided me with a sense of community, lifelong friendships and academic opportunities.”
He credits his involvement in his mother’s estate planning for re-instilling the value of reciprocity, and carries the quote “the world doesn’t owe you anything, you owe the world” with him as his mantra. It is clear that James and Sarah share the same drive to make a positive impact for future generations, as Sarah says, “Whether you do volunteer work or give back financially, you should always give back to your community because it makes it a better place to live in.”