233159
232178

Kelowna  

Family donates $600K to UBCO

A local family with deep roots in the Okanagan recently made a substantial donation to UBCO.

Ken and Jean Finch have committed $600,000 to establish the Finch Family Undergraduate Award and the Finch Family Graduate Award.

These awards will recognize students who have demonstrated great academic focus and success, while also contributing to quality of life in the region, explains Ken Finch.

“The lives of our family have been enriched by the lifestyle of the Okanagan, and we consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to combine a great place to live with the ability to grow a business,” he says. “We would like to do our part in enhancing the opportunities for young people by investing in education as a way of supporting clean, sustainable growth in our region.”

The first Finch Family Graduate Award was presented to Christopher Collier, a PhD candidate studying electrical engineering in the School of Engineering, carrying a prize of $14,000. The Finch Family Undergraduate Award was presented to Zachary Holland, a computer sciences student in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. This award carries a prize of $7,000, over the third and fourth years of study.

“I am honoured to be awarded the Finch Family Graduate Award,” says Collier. “This funding helps to alleviate the financial burden of graduate studies as I continue my doctoral research. Thank you to the Finch family for supporting me through this scholarship.”

For Holland, having some of the financial pressure taken off his final two years of undergraduate studies has motivated him to push himself even harder.

“Receiving this award has relieved much of the financial stress associated with pursuing my education, and will enable me to remain more focused on my studies and other projects,” says Holland. “The award has also motivated me to keep working hard to be the best that I can be both academically and personally.”



More Kelowna News