Last year, the Columbia Basin Trust's bursary program reduced educational barriers for 210 B.C. college students with more than $122,000 in financial support.
"For me, it was kind of lucky," said Alexi Mostert, who received at least $500 in funding for her education.
Being awarded the grant means that Mostert will be able to stay in her hometown of Revelstoke while completing her dream program of tourism management at Okanagan College (OC)'s Revelstoke Centre.
Mostert, who moved from Saskatchewan to Revelstoke at the age of seven, grew up immersed in Revelstoke's outdoors-oriented community and did not want to leave.
While she'd been giving other cities and post-secondary programs considerable thought, "I definitely wanted to stay in town given the connections I had here."
During Mostert's two-year diploma at OC, her professional network in Revelstoke expanded even further.
"Because we were such a small town, we got to meet with local business leaders," she said, mentioning that learning about destination management through meetings with Tourism Revelstoke was a highlight.
But support from the bursary also meant Mostert got to embark on a co-op with Apex Rafting. There, she met Indigenous Backcountry Training founder and director Dylan Murray, which gave her a plug for joining his team ahead of their next avalanche skills program near Revelstoke this spring.
One passion product interwoven with the hands-on experience she gained through OC has been her own local photography and videography business, with her portfolio available at aleximostertphotography.ca.
"I started with portraits a long time ago," she noted, adding that though she's meaning to update her website when time allows, she loves visually catering to Revelstoke's "outdoor adventure" demographic.
Now, it couldn't be more perfect that she'll be working with Indigenous Backcountry Training in April as its on-the-ground photographer and videographer.
Graduated from OC with a tourism management diploma, Mostert is further advancing her studies at Thompson Rivers University. Though she mentioned CBT's bursary program might not continue in future years, "it's definitely worth applying for if you're eligible," she said. "I would hope they bring it back."
Mostert gives a shoutout to her array of OC instructors, and encourages community members to sign up for remaining spots in the Indigenous Backcountry Training course, which runs April 8 to 13. Learn more and register at indigenousbackcountrytraining.ca/course-overview.
And, to learn more about the CBT bursary program, visit ourtrust.org/grants-and-programs-directory/columbia-basin-bursary.
