Photo: Contributed

Kira Johnson, left, and Grace Oswald.

Two Okanagan College students will be able to study abroad after receiving thousands of dollars from a scholarship.

Grace Oswald and Kira Johnson were two of 29 British Columbian students who were awarded the Irving K. Barber Premier’s International Scholarship, which grants recipients between $6,000 and $10,000.

Oswald is preparing to study at Finland's Jyväskylän University of Applied Science for six months, beginning in January.

“I’m supporting myself through school so winning the award was big news,” said Oswald, who was awarded $7,500. “It’s the biggest scholarship I’ve ever won and I feel like I’ve got financial freedom to take in more of the culture now.”

Oswald is enrolled in Okanagan College's Bachelor of Business Administration program in Tourism and Hospitality Management.

“I knew this was the right career path for me and I think one of the best ways to truly understand tourism is to become a tourist yourself, which is why I wanted to study abroad so badly,” Oswald said.

Johnson is also in Okanagan College's Bachelor of Business Administration program. She was awarded the scholarship's maximum $10,000 and plans to complete her third year of her undergrad in Germany at the Berlin School of Economics and Law.

"I’ve been involved with international education since high school,” said Johnson. “I started working alongside my school district's international co-ordinator and even developed a program called The Peace Program that helps exchange students make friendships with local students and helps Canadian students make international friendships.”

Johnson hopes to work as an international co-ordinator for a school district or post-secondary school following graduation.

“I’m really interested in seeing how Germany encourages their students to study abroad and bring that information back to Canada,” she said.