KPU awards $50,000 in grants to international students for academic success

🔊 Listen to Post

Editor’s note: This article has been updated for clarity. 

Kwantlen Polytechnic University has awarded $50,000 in grants to 10 international students with excellent academic achievement.

The International Merit Scholarship, introduced in 2022, gives international students in any program or stage in their studies with a high grade point average (GPA) each $5,000 to put towards their tuition or school-related expenses, based on available funding. 

Pedro Kuyumjian, a student from Brazil working towards a graduate diploma in business administration for green business management and sustainability, is one of the award recipients. He says he was happy to get the email on March 1 that revealed he won $5,000 for a scholarship he did not apply to.

“I like to study,” Kuyumjian says. “I like to do everything in the best way that I can, so when I got this scholarship, it was really surprising and I was really happy because it felt like I was doing something right. It felt like, ‘Mission accomplished.’”

He opted to get the money as a tuition credit instead of a cheque, so most of his fees for the fall semester will be covered.

As a mature student over 40 who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2001 in Brazil, Kuyumjian says he had to relearn how to study and readapt in a different educational landscape. He attributes his good grades to paying attention in classes and working on assignments early.

He works at an asset management firm, where many of the investments require considering environmental concerns, which inspired him to study sustainability and how it affects stock market companies.

Kuyumjian is anticipating to graduate next year and later plans to work in his field, which may be related to sustainability, and putting down more roots in Canada while having fun with his wife and two kids.

Laurina Austin-Seade, a student from England in KPU’s product design bachelor’s degree program, is also among the 10 award recipients.

She did not expect to get the news about winning the scholarship and thought it was a spam email at first. Having experienced sleepless nights and waking up early to get to school, Austin-Seade says “it felt nice to be acknowledged.”

She chose to put the money towards a tuition credit, where part of it was applied this semester and the remainder will be used in the fall. Last summer, she studied and worked two jobs, so winning this award has given her a “big reprieve.”

“This summer, it’s a bit more like I’m enjoying my course,” Austin-Seade says. “I’m not running myself ragged and getting to spend more time with my son as well. So it’s given me the opportunity to just develop my relationships a lot more and study and be fully focused on what I’m learning as well.”

Austin-Seade says she takes one day at a time and puts in her best effort to get good grades. She also credits her success to her supportive program cohort. She adds that she tries to learn more material outside her classes’ rubrics and assessments to gain further knowledge.

At the Wilson School of Design, she enjoys the instructors and different design machines and software she gets to work with, as well as challenging herself and working with various classmates with different design ideas.

After graduating in 2026, Austin-Seade plans to pursue children’s design, particularly working on learning and play resources in public environments such as playgrounds.

Bachelor of arts in creative writing student Kai Barcellos Luna, who is from Brazil, also won the $5,000, which they chose to receive as a tuition credit.

Part of the money went towards a course this semester taught by KPU sociology instructor Fabricio Telo. In the class, Barcellos Luna gets to be an assistant for a research project that Telo had been asking them to join for a while. Prior to winning the scholarship, they could not take the class as they did not have the money or time for an extra course.

“I had already received the answers for all the scholarships I had applied for that I would receive in the spring,” Barcellos Luna says. “So [when the email] came, I was like, ‘What even is this?’ And then I got it. At the time, too, I was really worried that I would not be able to afford [the] fall [semester] without my parents’ help, so it was amazing to get it.”

Barcellos Luna says they achieved academic success through lots of effort, dedication, and by already being prepared on how to study and focus their time after previously graduating from a Brazilian university with a degree in library sciences. They also try to speak up in class and meet with instructors for feedback and to foster better relationships with them.

They recommend students use the resources available to them through their school fees, including peer mentors, tutoring, food hampers, and mental health support.

Barcellos Luna says they enjoy KPU’s practical coursework, knowledgeable instructors, and writing community.

While currently in their second year at the university, they eventually want to get a master’s degree in publishing from Simon Fraser University (SFU) and a two-year credential to become a teacher, which are their broader post-graduation plans that may change.

For Austin-Seade, she believes KPU should offer more awards and grants for international students to greaten its diverse school population.

“I know a lot of the rules are changing as to who can come and study and that is going to affect KPU on all different sides,” she says. “But I think we should encourage more international students to come because it shapes the class in different ways, like having different global perspectives.”