Two university students from Greater Victoria were named to the Royal Bank of Canada Future-Launch Indigenous Youth Scholarship on June 11. Jessica Mirasty, a JD Law Student at the University of Victoria (UVic) and Katie Timms of Saaichton were awarded the prize. They are eligible to receive up to $10,000 per year over four years.
Timms studied at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she reconnected with her culture and ancestry. Now, she is setting her sights on a Juris Idigenarum Doctor (JID) Law program at the University of Victoria. Rekindling her culture was a very difficult challenge initially, but as time went by, she found herself warmly welcomed by her community, said Timms.
"I found so many other Métis students who had the same experiences as myself, and am also able to re-teach members of my family elements of our Métis culture, which has been a beautiful and grounding experience." Timms wants to build a better future for Indigenous communities and believes her study at UBC and UVic will prepare her for the next step in her career. "Pursuing an Indigenous law program at the University of Victoria will also prepare me to achieve this goal.
To establish change communities, we must look at the source, which is the laws that have the power to help Indigenous peoples," Timms said. Mirasty grew up in the Flying Dust First Nation in Saskatchewan. She said she credits her community for their support and wants to share her experience with other Indigenous stu.
