Squamish, BC – June 17, 2022 Kicking off the first-ever ASCENT fundraiser gala, members of the Quest community, donors, and Squamish community leaders gathered together on June 9, 2022 to celebrate the launch of the Gwen Harry Scholarship at Quest University.
The event saw over 50 guests attend a candlelit long table dinner featuring a three-course meal, musical accompaniment by Quest student Natalie Krause, and Quest executive and alumni speakers.
Centrepiece to the festive evening was the launch of several scholarships, including the Gwen Harry Scholarship, which will financially support the education of Indigenous students studying at Quest. The scholarship is named for Quest’s first-ever recipient of an honourary degree, Nation Elder Chésha7 (Gwen Harry) and mother to Hereditary Chief and Quest Chancellor Dale Harry (Pekultn Siyam).
Chief Dale Harry emphasized the importance of empowering Indigenous students in their academic journeys. “We created a scholarship that doesn’t just focus on the Squamish Nation. It focuses on First Nations People, Metis People, and the Inuit. We wanted to create that scholarship wide enough to attract everyone here,” he said in his first speaking appearance as Quest’s new Chancellor.
“It was a marvelous event that attracted numerous community members and donors and provided them with a venue to show their support for Quest and their commitment to create more opportunities for aspiring indigenous students,” said Dr. Arthur Coren, Quest’s newly-appointment President and Vice-Chancellor.
The Aquilini family and the Canucks for Kids Fund committed the first $25,000 to launch the Gwen Harry Scholarship fund, with a matching opportunity for donors attending the ASCENT gala. By the end of the evening, all funds were matched dollar-for-dollar by generous donors. In addition, TELUS was pleased to donate $25,000 toward the Gwen Harry Scholarship fund.
Attendees heard from featured alumni speakers, including recent University of Victoria J.D. grad Jake Henderson (Quest Grad 2014) and local artist Mathias Horne (Quest Grad 2019), who shared stories of their career journeys starting at Quest and beyond.
Mathias Horne, who recently established his own scholarship for Quest students, displayed an original commissioned painting of Quest’s mascot animal, the Spirit Bear, at the celebration. To close off the evening, all attendees received signed prints of the artwork to commemorate the momentous occasion.
As the Quest community commences a new chapter under the leadership of President Dr. Arthur Coren and Chancellor Chief Dale Harry, it looks forward to building a future with improved access to education for prospective Indigenous students and continued close collaboration with Indigenous community partners.
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For more information:
Melissa Davis
VP, Marketing and Communications
melissa.davis@campus-support.ca
