Ike Barber Transfer Scholarships a Boon for Selkirk College Grads
By Bob Hall
Two dozen students who embarked on their post-secondary journey at Selkirk College and are continuing towards completion of a degree have received $120,000 from the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society.
A total of 24 Selkirk College alumni were awarded a $5,000 Ike Barber Transfer Scholarship that is available to undergraduate students who have completed at least one year at a public post-secondary in B.C. and transfer to another institution to complete their studies.
“This scholarship opportunity is a great example of how beneficial starting post-secondary at Selkirk College is for both local students and those who come from communities further away,” says Teresa Dolan, Selkirk College’s Financial Aid Officer. “The 24 students who received the Ike Barber Transfer Scholarship this year have been able to get the right start through small class sizes and affordable tuition. Now they embark on the next stage where they can complete their degrees knowing that the financial pressure has been lightened.”
In 2018, the Irving K. Barber British Columbia Scholarship Society provided a total of $855,000 in transfer awards to 171 students across the province. The large majority of this year’s Selkirk College recipients graduated from high schools in the West Kootenay and Boundary region. They come a variety of Selkirk College programs and are now enroled in university programs from across the province including the University of Victoria (UVic), University of British Columbia (UBC), Simon Fraser University (SFU), University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Vancouver Island University (VIU) and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
“Through the scholarships and bursaries that are available within Selkirk College, students have a chance to significantly cut down on the costs of a post-secondary education,” says Dolan. “Once they move on to further studies, they are able to take advantage of external scholarships like the Ike Barber to help get them to that next level.”
The 2018 Ike Barker Transfer Scholarship recipients from Selkirk College include: Natasha Olsoff (UNBC), Molly Benbow (UBC), Shari Starling (UVic), Sophie Taburiaux (UVic), Svetlana Hadikin (UBC), Wren Shaman (UVic), Emmi Matern (UBC), Spencer Legebokoff (UVic), Philip Chwachka (UVic), Allison Best (UVic), Hailey Poznikoff (SFU), Reyna Brown (UVic), Savannah Hanning-Brown (UVic), Tiyena Laurin-Krause (UVic), Carmen Berger (UVic), Julie Archibald (UVic), Christie Baker (VIU), Jessica Munn (UVic), Jaala Derochie (UVic), Laura McNab-Cooms (UNBC), Megan MacKay (UVic), Nicole Laface (UVic) and Christopher Black (BCIT).
The society is named after entrepreneur and philanthropist Irving K. Barber who had a long history of supporting public post-secondary in B.C. before his death in 2012. To qualify for a transfer scholarship, students must demonstrate strong academic achievement and significant volunteer service to their school or community.
Applications for the 2019 Ike Barber Transfer Scholarship will open in December and will be accepted until February 28, 2019. To find out more about the society’s programs call 1.844.478.4645 or visit www.ikbbc.ca. To find out more about how to make a Selkirk College education more affordable, head to selkirk.ca/financial-aid.
