A young woman from Prince George is being nationally recognized for her community involvement in the field of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math).
Samantha Burke is one of the five recipients of the 2021 Ingenium-NSERC STEAM Horizon Award, which awards $25,000 towards post-secondary education to Canadian youth who promote positive changes throughout their community using STEAM.
“I’ve always just been really involved in the community I’ve volunteered at the Kindergarten Health Circuit, Ness Lake Bible Camp and at the Fort George Kids Club which unfortunately isn’t around anymore,” explained Burke.
She is also being recognized for her contribution to the study of a relatively unknown condition known as Aphantasia–the inability to create images in one’s mind.
“I had the opportunity to do that as a school project but then I kind of took it a little bit further than what I originally intended but I was able to learn a lot about that and find something that I was really passionate about,” Burke added.
Burke is about to finish up grade twelve in Prince George and has been accepted into the University of Alberta to study Biochemistry.
The $25,000 will pay for her entire first year, including housing payments, and will keep Burke from having to work any part-time jobs while in school.
She says being recognized as a young woman in a field that is predominantly male-dominated is an honour.
“It’s amazing, being able to be one of those role models that I didn’t always have growing up, especially since there’s nobody in my family that works in the STEAM field is amazing,” she added.
Burke is now hoping to become an Oncologist and is passionate about giving youth in rural areas of Canada more opportunities to expand their passions and understanding of STEAM fields.
“It’s such a relief, being recognized for all my hard work and everything, it’s finally paying off.”