A new, one-of-a kind scholarship will soon be available for Coast Mountain College (CMTN) students in the pre-engineering and geoscience programs.
This scholarship aims to help fund their studies and retain their specialized skills within northern B.C. following their graduation at CMTN.
This initiative is being led in part by CMTN geoscience and math instructor, Stuart Toop, through the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Northern Branch. Toop is also a branch executive of the EGBCNB and a professional engineer.
“Coast Mountain College has a lot of inclusivity goals,” says Toop.
“It’s a good opportunity to get rural, remote and Indigenous engagement, because typically, engineering and geoscience programs are limited to people who can travel to the bigger centres.”
The Engineers and Geoscientists BC Northern Branch is currently fundraising and plans to raise at least $10,000 this year. Their goal is to have a $1,000 scholarship reserved to distribute annually.
A priority of the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Northern Branch is to get more Indigenous engineers and geoscientists practicing in the region. Preference of this scholarship will go to Indigenous students and those from northern B.C. communities, to help eliminate barriers that may exist in pursuing an education.
With the recent announcement of the award, Toop says the feedback he has received from consulting, engineering and mining firms in the region so far has been positive and encouraging.
“It's hard to attract engineering and geoscience professionals to this area for companies,” says Toop.
“I think that this scholarship is right in everyone's interests.”
Interim Director of CMTN Foundation, Jessica Hogg, says she sees this scholarship initiative as an invaluable opportunity for students to experience CMTN and be inclined to complete the remainder of their studies.
“Investing in the students of the engineering program at Coast Mountain College presents more opportunities for them to stay and work close to home,” she says.
“These funds will be immensely valuable to students in our region.”
The CMTN Foundation was established in 2017 to support student success by easing financial barriers through scholarships, bursaries, awards and programs. Over the past few years, the Foundation has made post-secondary education a possibility for many students across northern B.C.
Those who would like to donate to this fund are able to do so through the donation portal below, or by writing a cheque to the CMTN Foundation.
www.coastmountaincollege.ca/about-cmtn/cmtn-foundation/donate/donate-online
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Media contact
Jessica Hogg
Interim Director of Communications
jhogg@coastmountaincollege.ca
250.641.2206