First-year students entering Vancouver’s Langara College this September will be eligible to apply for a new $500 entrance scholarship, to be called The Langara Queer Community Initiative Award, courtesy of the Langara Queer Collective.
Students who demonstrate an involvement in the queer community in any way, whether it’s a gay-straight alliance in their high school or volunteer work in the queer community, will be considered for the money.
“It’s to acknowledge the contribution of younger people,” says Langara Queer Collective liaison Steven Huston. “When I came back to school, there wasn’t a whole lot out there specifically for our community. It takes a lot of courage to come out young, so it’s a little way to tip the hat.”
Huston hopes the award will encourage Langara students to become more politically involved and aware, and to encourage new students who already have some community experience to get involved in queer activities at Langara.
The Langara Queer Collective is contributing $1,000 a year from its budget. “Five hundred goes to a student and $500 goes into a trust fund,” says Huston. “In 10 or 15 years, the scholarship should be self-sufficient.”
The award will be available through Langara’s financial aid department.
For more information call the Langara College Financial Aid Department at 604.323.5376.
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