“Vistara” is the Sanskrit word for “expansion.” We whole heartedly believe that with an investment into today’s bright minds, and having some help and inspiration drawn from current businesses and leaders, these students can reach their full potential. Therefore, expanding and creating a path for future generations to come.
In 2020, we made a $100,000, 5-year commitment to Beedie Luminaries to support students of ethnic and racially diverse backgrounds, who are pursuing their degrees in finance and/or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) – sectors in great need of diversity and inclusion of members of our black, indigenous, and other underrepresented ethnic communities.
Our commitment is threefold:
- We are providing a first-year, full tuition scholarship to one student per year who qualifies under the broader Beedie Luminaries program;
- Equally as exciting and impactful in our view, we are committing to offering, either directly or through our network, a guaranteed paid summer internship to the selected student following their first year of study to assist them in gaining relevant hands-on experience; and
- To help these students to be best prepared for success as they enter the workforce, our team will also be providing mentorship to the Vistara Elevate Award recipients over their entire 4-year post secondary journey.
The Beedie Luminaries Scholarship is for students with potential who are facing financial adversity. Students who are smart, but constrained by circumstance. Students who are resilient and gritty. Do you know a Grade 12 student that would be eligible? Be sure to share this opportunity with them! Applications are open until January 13th, 2022 @ 9 am PST. To learn more, visit Beedie Luminaries.
How to apply
We are looking forward to seeing all 2022 applicants, and we encourage all eligible students to apply. From the list of successful applicants, we will be selecting our 2022 Vistara Elevate Award recipient as we look to support their growth, and help them become a role model for their family, peers, and community at large.
Applicants can apply through Beedie Luminaries’ secure, online site for post-secondary education at all 25 public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. (See the complete list here)
Do you know the next Vistara Growth Awards Recipient? Apply today.
Meet Our Past Recipients
Atta Ur Rehman Faiz
Atta Ur Rehman Faiz of Surrey, British Columbia is the 2021 recipient of the Vistara Elevate Award. Atta is pursuing a computer science and mechanical engineering degree at the University of British Columbia. In addition to scoring top marks in his academic studies, Atta found time to participate in his high school’s NASA team, which was focused on creating a reference for a proposal to create an attainable space settlement in the near future. He also volunteers with One Blood for Life, an organization that helps raise awareness of the need for more blood and stem cell donors. We welcomed Atta to our office last week, and look forward to watching his growth over the next years!
Michal Oqbe
Michal Oqbe, was the inaugural 2020 recipient of the Vistara Elevate Awards. She currently studies health sciences at the Simon Fraser University in British Columbia to learn about how to eliminate health issues in developing nations. Michal completed her internship with Vistara Growth during Summer 2021.
“I truly enjoyed my experience this summer working with the team at Vistara as my first taste of working in a business. The variety of technology companies we looked at and discussions around them really piqued my interest in learning more about all aspects of business, and will help shape my course selections and path forward. I am very grateful for the support and look forward to Vistara’s ongoing mentoring and support on my journey through university.”
– Michal Oqbe, Recipient of 2020 Elevate Award
