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No question about giving back

There was never any question for Tham about giving back to the university. In fact, she made her first gift to the Schulich School of Law just after graduating. Since then, she has continued giving, inspired by the impact of scholarships and bursaries she received, her exposure to the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service, and the advice of her mother to help wherever you can. But for all Tham’s generosity, there was one question she kept asking herself: what else could she do?

“I am very much a ‘What help do you need and what I can do to make that happen?’ type of person,” Tham says. 

Tham found the answer in 2013. Realizing that there were no internships or bursaries available for outstanding students who complete their first year of study in the Juris Doctor program, she decided to fill that gap. The Penelope Tham Business Internship supports students who do a summer internship with a business law or policy organization. 

“After my first year, I had the opportunity to work at a firm and see what business lawyers do, which sparked my interest in the field,” Tham explains.  “I wanted to give that same opportunity to someone else so that they can explore the possibilities in business law and find an area that appeals to them.”

Looking to do more

Since the bursary’s launch, Tham has heard from several recipients that it had a significant impact on their academic and career path. That raised a new question: how could she keep the bursary going in perpetuity? At first, she thought it could be endowed by her class in memory of a Dal professor. But the challenge of connecting with classmates during the COVID pandemic inspired her to find another way forward. 

“I looked at the financials, realized I could do it on my own, and started giving money to endow the bursary,” she says. “I want as many people as possible to benefit from it.”

Tham’s support of the university remains as strong as ever. In addition to endowing the bursary, she accepted an invitation to join the ������Ƶ Advisory Council, whose members serve as senior volunteer advisors to the Bringing Worlds Together���������貹������.

“I was really honoured that the university thought I could make a contribution in this way,” she says. “My role is very much advisory. It’s great to take in presentations from the different faculties on their fundraising priorities and offer feedback, but I’d love to do something more.”

What that is has yet to be determined, but Tham is musing on it. “I want to know where Dal is going and what it is going to look like for the next generation,” she says. “Based on that, I can look at what to contribute.”

In other words, Tham continues to ask the right questions to find the right answers.