BC Technology Industry Association Announces 2015 Scholarship Winners

VANCOUVER, BC, June 4, 2015 – The BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) today announced a total of $14,000 in scholarship grants to support BC’s next generation of tech leaders and budding entrepreneurs. Founded in 2005 during the Technology Impact Awards, it was a fitting 10th Anniversary Celebration to present the highest total value of grants to date to six outstanding secondary and post-secondary students from British Columbia. For the second year in a row, the scholarship awards were presented by Steve Fast, VP, IT Client Services at TELUS, a company that has supported the scholarship since its inception.

The BC Technology Scholarship program is designed to support hard-working and accomplished young people in their pursuit of technology-related education. Applicants must be enrolled or continuing studies in either business or science programs in a technology-related field, and are selected on a basis of both merit and need.

“The strength of the applications improves every year,” said Bill Tam, President and CEO of the BCTIA, “and we are extremely proud to support the next generation of science and technology leaders in our province. As an organization, the BCTIA believes strongly in ‘paying it forward’, and we can’t think of a better way to do that than by helping young entrepreneurs achieve their scholastic goals and join the tech industry, right here in BC.”

As the largest technology association in the province, the BCTIA also recognizes the importance of lifelong learning and ongoing support as students evolve into tomorrow’s technology leaders. “Talent is a critical issue for our industry,” Tam added. “Nurturing home-grown talent gives us a competitive advantage and makes our entire industry stronger.”

Two grants of $5,000 were awarded at the post-secondary level. This year’s recipients are:

Michelle H, BCIT, Richmond, BC
Michelle is currently enrolled in BCIT for Digital Design & Development and is set to graduate in March of 2016. Michelle’s career aspiration is to be a superstar iOS and front­end web developer. In June of 2013 she started interning at Medeo Corporation which was later acquired by QHR Technologies. Michelle continues to work at QHR while attending BCIT full-time.

Jessica Peare, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, BC
Jessica is currently enrolled at Simon Fraser University in the Mechatronic Systems Engineering program, set to graduate with a degree in Applied Sciences. Jessica is a private pilot with a love for aviation; the applicability of Mechatronic Systems in the aerospace industry is what made her apply for that program originally. After graduation, she will be seeking full-time employment as an Engineer-in-training to attain a professional engineer designation.

Four grants valued at $1,000 each were awarded to BC high school students seeking post-secondary studies in science or technology-related fields. The 2015 Scholarship recipients are:

Christopher Bolton, Windsor Secondary, North Vancouver, BC
With interests in the digital industry, Chris will begin his studies at UBC this fall. Chris has spent the last year working with The Next Big Thing Foundation, a non-profit that brings mentorship, resources, and funding to young entrepreneurs like himself. Additionally, he also works as a web developer for Hootsuite Media. In the future Chris would like to continue to develop a community of makers, coders and entrepreneurs.

Nicholas Hu, Eric Hamber Secondary School, Vancouver, BC
With a passion for engineering and science, Nicholas is currently seeking to enroll in the Engineering Physics or Computer/Software Engineering Program at UBC. Nicholas’ goal is to work for a technology company that will improve the lives of citizens and improve sustainability in our community. Nicholas has received numerous scholastic awards, including the University of British Columbia Computer Science Award.

Samia Kamal, Princess Margaret Secondary School, Surrey, BC
Samia plans to attend Simon Fraser University and branch into biomedical engineering where she can design products to bring advancements to the healthcare industry. Her goal is to develop synthetic organs and help improve prosthetic limbs. Her academic achievements include Passport to Education and honour roll by distinction.

Alice Zheng, Vancouver Technical Secondary, Vancouver, BC
Alice plans to attend UBC for Applied Sciences with a goal to become a Biomedical Engineer and improve the health conditions of patients through the use of medical technology. She plans to get involved by joining UBC’s co-op program and the UBC biomedical team. Alice is also a former recipient of the UBC Chancellor Award.

“When we recruit new graduates into TELUS, we know that the knowledge, training, and experience students receive throughout their educational studies are a great foundation to prepare them to take our industry to new levels of innovation and customer service excellence,” said Bill Sayles, Executive Vice-president, Business Transformation at TELUS, and strong supporter of the BC Technology Scholarship Program. “At TELUS we believe strongly in supporting future generations of technology experts in BC, and congratulate this year’s scholarship recipients on their achievements so far, and their bright futures ahead.”

The BC Technology Scholarship was created by, and continues to be fully funded by the BC technology industry. Since its founding, the scholarship fund has supported more than sixty students representing BC’s next generation of technology leaders.

For information on Technology Impact Award winners and finalists, visit www.thetias.com