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4 Greater Victoria students receive ‘life-changing’ award

Exceptional high school grads get up to $40,000 for post-secondary
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Haley White, 18, of Lambrick Park Secondary School in Saanich is one of four Greater Victoria high school graduates to receive a Beedie Luminaries scholarship valued up to $40,000. (Courtesy of Haley White)

Beedie Luminaries returns this summer with scholarships of up to $40,000 that will make the academic dreams of 157 youth and adults come true, including four Greater Victoria students.

Founder Ryan Beedie awarded 140 Grade 12 students and 17 single parents in B.C. a total $6.2 million last month – the most the foundation has distributed in the four years it has run.

While mainly targeting exceptional high school graduates who hope to pursue post-secondary studies, Beedie Luminaries also runs its Single Parent Awards for Resilience and Knowledge Program to help others further their education.

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“These scholarships recognize promising B.C. students who have faced life challenges and adversity with determination and resilience,” communications representative Kyle Krawchuk said in an email statement.

Haley White, 18, will graduate from Lambrick Park Secondary School and is among the four Greater Victoria high school students receiving the scholarship. Dropping out of school in Grade 10, White, who lives in Saanich, regularly faced challenges at home amid an often absent mother and overstretched father.

“He had to drive to and from Nanaimo every day to make ends meet,” she said.

White later enrolled at the Link at Lambrick, which is run by the SJ Burnside Education Centre, and was able to finish her studies at Lambrick Park Secondary. She will use the funding to pursue a Bachelor of English at Camosun College and aspires to become an English teacher.

She said receiving the scholarship came as a shock, as she “didn’t expect to just be awarded something so life-changing.”

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The other Greater Victoria students to receive the scholarship are Maisie Starkey and Zen Lahlouh (Victoria High) and Isabella Nazer (Belmont Secondary). In addition to the funding, they may benefit from assigned mentors, paid work opportunities and specialized student support.

To learn more or apply for a 2023 Beedie Luminaries scholarship, visit beedieluminaries.ca.


 

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