Haida Gwaii student receives full-ride scholarship to SFU

The PSF-supported Scholarship Foundation of the Pacific program empowers young students from Haida Gwaii to become leaders in their community.

The Scholarship Foundation of the Pacific – a public foundation that annually awards a scholarship to a Haida Gwaii student in conjunction with Simon Fraser University – has named Jonah Gladstone the 2023 recipient.

The Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) has supported the scholarship over the past two years with contributions of $10,000 per year and provided support for fundraising capacity.

The full-ride scholarship aims to create future leaders in coastal communities through education opportunities. Recipients are selected based on outstanding high school academic achievement, a written essay, and an arduous interview process.

The Scholarship Foundation of the Pacific has established an endowment fund at SFU to finance the scholarships with thanks to generous donations from individual and corporate supporters. An annual fundraising golf tournament in spring and a Langara Fishing Adventures trip in August also support the scholarship financing.

Jonah Gladstone, the 2023 recipient, is a current Grade 12 student in Haida Gwaii with extensive volunteer experience, including at local salmon enhancement projects, and at a community volunteer fire department.

In addition to excelling academically, Gladstone has also worked in landscaping and maintenance jobs and worked as a marine debris removal crew member for a local beach clean-up initiative, and is currently taking an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) course.

“Our program looks for students who have excelled in school and express motivation to continue their education, but furthermore, individuals who have demonstrated leadership and volunteer capacity in their community,” says Beverley Kniffen, executive director of the Scholarship Foundation of the Pacific. “Jonah is an accomplished, well-rounded young role model in his community. We are thrilled to name him the 2023 scholarship recipient.”

Learn more about Jonah Gladstone below.

Q&A with Jonah Gladstone, 2023 Scholarship Foundation of the Pacific recipient

Can you describe what salmon mean to you?

I have grown up in Haida Gwaii my whole life and am a proud member of the Cumshewa Eagle clan. I enjoy fishing, hunting and camping. My family relies on salmon as a part of our diet. I have learned how to process, smoke, and prepare salmon from my elders. Salmon have always been a big part of my diet and something that I am passionate about restoring. It is incredibly important that we take care of our salmon populations.

What studies do you plan to pursue?

In September I will be starting my first year at Simon Fraser University. I am planning on majoring in biology for my B.Sc. and possibly pursuing a postgraduate veterinarian degree. My ultimate plan is to come back to Haida Gwaii to work in my community.

Why did you choose that field of study?

I really enjoy and am interested in the sciences. I also chose this because I enjoy being outdoors as I have grown up my whole life hunting and fishing. Salmon are a big part of the culture I have grown up in.

What volunteer experience do you have with salmon?

I have volunteered for local streamkeepers and helped to trap, take data on, and transport coho, chum and pink salmon. I have also taken part in school-run hatchery programs. In school we often saw the salmon in our classrooms and watched them develop from eggs to fry before we released them back into their home stream.