The Brian Campbell “Rapped Up” Memorial Award

Open to full-time students who will be enrolled in any year of study in the Industrial Mechanical, Heavy Duty Equipment Repair, Occupational Health and Safet, Welding, or Metal Fabrication program at any campus where the eligible programs are offered.

Application assessment will consider

• Financial Need
• Commitment and interest in program
• Good academic standing
• Overcoming Obstacles/Perseverance Essay
• Preference: Applicants whose origins are closely linked to Coal Mining (demonstrate in the application). Applicants attending the Sydney or Strait Area Campuses.

About the award
When DEVCO closed their doors, Brian Campbell – a career coal miner and Chain Runner – was offered a retraining package. While he joked about what he might have achieved had he finished Grade 8, Brian’s true focus wasn’t on his own classroom seat, but on those of his children.

When his son, was struggling to piece together the funds for his final terms at university, Brian didn’t hesitate. He took his own retraining “lifeline” and handed it to him. On a newspaper clipping titled “Down in the Mines” which hung on the family fridge, he left a simple, blunt statement that became his son’s North Star for education and personal development: “Good marks or Dad kicks your butt. Love, Pops.”

In the deeps of the Cape Breton coal mines, to be “Rapped Up” was a vital signal. It was the rhythmic rapping on the line that told the surface the shift was over and signaled the chain—the underground train—to begin the long advance back to the surface. Among miners, the term is also used as a final “Rest in Peace” for a brother whose earthly shift is complete. This award is for the student who is working hard to "advance and complete their shift”, displaying a personal grit to succeed, as seen among many hard-working tradespeople. Like a Coal Miner.

Just as Brian used his retraining funds to ensure his son could finish his education, this award serves as a financial "rap up”; a signal to help a trades student advance toward a new path and bring their career to the surface. It is a tribute to a man who didn’t love school, but worked hard and deeply loved the doors that an education could open for his family.