James Smith

James Smith: Scholarship helps bridge the gap between school and family

After three years living away from friends and family to pursue his education, student life became a little bit easier for a 21-year-old Williams Lake-area student in his third year at the University of Victoria.

James Smith, 21, was awarded an Irving K. Barber BC Aboriginal Student Award for the second time in 2014, for a total of $4,500 received from the Irving K. Barber Scholarship Society.

"I'm very grateful that I received the scholarship," says Smith. "It makes it so much easier to be comfortable and I'm able to travel to visit my family."

The BC Aboriginal Student Award is available for Aboriginal people pursuing post-secondary education and is intended to improve access to education for Aboriginal students. In 2014, the Irving K. Barber BC Scholarship Society granted a total of $917,000 to a record 310 Aboriginal students in BC to support their studies at post-secondary colleges and universities throughout the province.

Coming from Yunesit'in, 160 kilometres west of Williams Lake, Smith is no stranger to being pulled away from his family to pursue an education. To complete his high school diploma, Smith moved the distance to Williams Lake and in September 2011, he moved another 640 kilometres to Victoria to pursue his lifelong dream to study engineering.

Smith has just finished his third year towards an engineering degree, with a minor in electrical engineering. While it's been difficult to be so far from his family, scholarships have changed the way he experiences student life.

"Before, there was very little money left over after paying rent and bills," says Smith. "With the scholarship, I can actually get more food and clothes--it makes life much easier."

He's also able to travel home between semesters, which he would be able to do without student awards. He says his visits home to reconnect with his family and community go a long way to help him get through the time away.

Moving to Victoria was dramatic lifestyle shift for Smith. In his spare time at home, he had access to tools and wide-open spaces. He would spend time in the woods, weld broken items for neighbours, ride horses, camp, fish, gather, grow and prepare food, and spend most of his time with his community.

In Victoria, on the other hand, he puts in long hours reading and studying and spends a lot of time on his own.

"My interest in the material keeps me going," says Smith. "My goal is to get into renewable energy like wind and solar - helping remote communities move away from diesel generators which are terribly expensive."

It's also been a big adjustment to incorporate fitness into his student life. At home, Smith would naturally get all the exercise he needed in a day from walking in the forest to taking care of chores around the farm. Student life requires him to carve out time specifically for exercise. Going to the gym, running, and yoga are ways that Smith stays healthy while studying.

Despite the sacrifices that Smith has made to pursue his education, he's excited about the next chapter of university life and looks forward to applying his education to help rural communities like his own in the future.

For more information on the Irving K. Barber Aboriginal Awards, click here.