Katya Kubyshkin's life changed forever earlier this year as her pursuits of post-secondary school suddenly became a reality.
The Coquitlam teen was one of 112 students in the province who earned a Beedie Luminaries bursary worth $40,000, which is being used towards her education at UBC after graduating Pinetree Secondary this past summer.
"One year ago, I didn’t think that today I’d be studying at my dream university," she said in a release sent to the Tri-City News.
"The Beedie Luminaries scholarship took my wildest dreams and brought them within reach."
She, alongside Ethem Gulseren (Port Coquitlam) and Gaeun Nam (Coquitlam), applied for the 2021 round of Beedie Luminaries, which distributed more than $5.1 million to Grade 12 students.
Now, the organization has 105 scholarships up for grabs for 2022 as they hope to reach out to those "facing financial barriers" that also wish to achieve higher learning at a public university, college or trade school anywhere in B.C.
"In addition to demonstrating academic readiness, the recipients also shared compelling personal stories of adversity and resilience as well as a strong record of contributing to their families and communities," a statement from Beedie Luminaries reads.
The scholarship fund began with a base of $50 million from Ryan Beedie in 2018.
"Among the 2021 recipients, over 70 per cent live in rental or social housing, 75 per cent come from single-parent or foster families, and 35 per cent are the first in their family to attend post-secondary."
In addition to the money, Tri-City students selected for a scholarship will also be paired with mentors, paid internship opportunities, Stay on Track student support, invitations to special events and access to the Beedie Luminaries online community.
A virtual open house to learn more about the program is also scheduled for Thursday (Nov. 25).
Grade 12 students set to graduate in 2022 and interested in applying for the scholarship can do so by visiting the Beedie Luminaries website.
The application deadline is set for 9 a.m. on Jan. 13, 2022.
The organization also has a secondary application process, known as SPARK, for single parents who want to return to school, which is set to publicly open in March 2022.
