Brian Nadjiwon Memorial Scholarship
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Out of the ashes of our profound loss and sorrow the BRIAN NADJIWON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP rises like a Thunderbird of real hope and opportunities for others...
Brian Nadjiwon, was a beloved father, husband, brother, friend, Chippewas Of Nawash Unceded First Nation Band member and respected Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) scholar who passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly in the summer of 2020. Brian was born to an unwed Indigenous mother and within 4 years became a casualty of the "60's Scoop" and placed in the colonial foster care system. He was separated from his twin brother and Indigenous culture and remained a "Ward of the State" in one form or another for the next 2 decades.
Despite his troubled & challenging youth, Brian was able to cultivate his intense passion for learning, particularly mathematics and information technology. In the 1990's Brian found a position in IT with the Federal Government in Ottawa and later moved to BC and secured a position as a Tech Specialist with Microsoft in Redmond WA. Brian accomplished all this and more without any formal IT degree.
A decade ago, Brian refocused his life and moved in with a close & dear friend in Delta BC and decided to pursue his passion for learning by enrolling in Information Technology at KPU. When Brian passed away so unexpectedly in August of 2020, he was working with faculty at KPU Geography to position himself to develop his passion for geoscience in graduate school.
Sadly we will never know what Brian could have contributed to the geoscience community that he so wanted & hoped to join.
Shortly after his tragic passing KPU Geography, Brian’s family & friends decided to take up a collection of funds for Indigenous scholars dedicated to his own legacy of studies and the Brian Nadjiwon Memorial Scholarship Fund was born. The purpose of this GoFundMe campaign is to make you aware of this new & relevant scholarship initiative for CANADIAN Indigenous students taking geoscience courses or programs at a BC University and to inquire as to whether you or your organization would be interested in making a financial contribution by donating to the Brian Nadjiwon Memorial Scholarship Fund (BNMSF).
Indigenous people are under-represented within the geosciences meanwhile the waste, resource and a myriad of other industries profits off the exploitation of Indigenous lands. With more and more Indigenous communities creating their own Land Management and Environmental Plans we have an ethical responsibility to support Indigenous people in achieving this and removing barriers and supporting more Indigenous people in a geoscience education.
Inspired by Brian’s remarkable life and his passion for geoscience this scholarship aims to help achieve this goal by bringing geoscience into the lives of more Indigenous students. The BNMSF will be administered, awarded and dispersed through the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Foundation (www.egbc.ca). The KPU website has been gracious & kind enough to host an update page with more in-depth information on Brian's story and the progress of this unique and important Indigenous Academic initiative so please visit https://wordpress.kpu.ca/briannadjiwon
A scholarship fund targeted at subsidizing the work of Indigenous scholars taking geosciences courses and programs at the undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral level across Canada are not only timely & relevant but long overdue. The BNMSF will represent an important legacy of the spirit of endurance, scholarly curiosity and the sheer brilliance of my brother, Brian Nadjiwon.
Brian Nadjiwon, was a beloved father, husband, brother, friend, Chippewas Of Nawash Unceded First Nation Band member and respected Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) scholar who passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly in the summer of 2020. Brian was born to an unwed Indigenous mother and within 4 years became a casualty of the "60's Scoop" and placed in the colonial foster care system. He was separated from his twin brother and Indigenous culture and remained a "Ward of the State" in one form or another for the next 2 decades.
Despite his troubled & challenging youth, Brian was able to cultivate his intense passion for learning, particularly mathematics and information technology. In the 1990's Brian found a position in IT with the Federal Government in Ottawa and later moved to BC and secured a position as a Tech Specialist with Microsoft in Redmond WA. Brian accomplished all this and more without any formal IT degree.
A decade ago, Brian refocused his life and moved in with a close & dear friend in Delta BC and decided to pursue his passion for learning by enrolling in Information Technology at KPU. When Brian passed away so unexpectedly in August of 2020, he was working with faculty at KPU Geography to position himself to develop his passion for geoscience in graduate school.
Sadly we will never know what Brian could have contributed to the geoscience community that he so wanted & hoped to join.
Shortly after his tragic passing KPU Geography, Brian’s family & friends decided to take up a collection of funds for Indigenous scholars dedicated to his own legacy of studies and the Brian Nadjiwon Memorial Scholarship Fund was born. The purpose of this GoFundMe campaign is to make you aware of this new & relevant scholarship initiative for CANADIAN Indigenous students taking geoscience courses or programs at a BC University and to inquire as to whether you or your organization would be interested in making a financial contribution by donating to the Brian Nadjiwon Memorial Scholarship Fund (BNMSF).
Indigenous people are under-represented within the geosciences meanwhile the waste, resource and a myriad of other industries profits off the exploitation of Indigenous lands. With more and more Indigenous communities creating their own Land Management and Environmental Plans we have an ethical responsibility to support Indigenous people in achieving this and removing barriers and supporting more Indigenous people in a geoscience education.
Inspired by Brian’s remarkable life and his passion for geoscience this scholarship aims to help achieve this goal by bringing geoscience into the lives of more Indigenous students. The BNMSF will be administered, awarded and dispersed through the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Foundation (www.egbc.ca). The KPU website has been gracious & kind enough to host an update page with more in-depth information on Brian's story and the progress of this unique and important Indigenous Academic initiative so please visit https://wordpress.kpu.ca/briannadjiwon
A scholarship fund targeted at subsidizing the work of Indigenous scholars taking geosciences courses and programs at the undergraduate, graduate or postdoctoral level across Canada are not only timely & relevant but long overdue. The BNMSF will represent an important legacy of the spirit of endurance, scholarly curiosity and the sheer brilliance of my brother, Brian Nadjiwon.
Organizer
Brent Nadjiwon
Organizer
Delta, BC
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