Three UBC Okanagan students receive ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Education fund

KELOWNA, B.C. — Three Indigenous students at the University of British Columbia Okanagan are recipients of this year’s ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Education fund.

PhD student in civil engineering Connie Davis, second year civil engineering student Elijah Patrick and PhD student in civil engineering Stacie Coutlee all received the $5,000 fund.

The ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Indigenous Education fund is awarded yearly to Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit or Metis architectural or engineering students in B.C. In addition to the financial award, students are given the chance to connect with professionals in their field, according to a news release. The fund was built out of a partnership between the Malahat Nation and W̱SÁNEĆ Nation in 2020.

“Due to intergenerational trauma, I was blinded by fear, I had limited views that minimized my awareness. In moving forward, I learned to become accountable for things I cannot change,” said Coutlee in the release.

“I acquired tools that empowered me to respond differently. This new thinking allows me to have a new experience with life. Otherwise, I would not have been accepted into a graduate program without an undergrad.”