Kyra Souch is many things: a proud member of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and Penticton Secondary School’s Class of 2024, an elite student athlete, a highly accomplished scholar, an emerging young leader… and a recipient of a bursary award from the South Okanagan Indigenous Education Fund.
Kyra’s passion is soccer, a sport at which she excels. While in high school, she played at the highest level of youth soccer in BC. Her skills on the pitch were recognized with an offer to be a student-athlete at Bishop’s University, where she began her studies in the Fall of 2024.
Kyra’s soccer skills are matched by her aptitude in the classroom. Her academic success in high school led to her acceptance to Bishop’s Biology Program – Biodiversity and Ecology Concentration. “I aspire to become an expert able to help reduce climate change,” she says. “Ultimately, I plan on attaining a career wherein I can mediate environmental issues and develop innovations in order to create a more sustainable world.”
Kyra was also an active student leader at Pen High, and part of the leadership team of a new Indigenous Leadership Group at the school. She accomplished this while maintaining a 96% grade average – a truly remarkable achievement.
The South Okanagan Indigenous Education Fund is one of 13 bursary funds administered by the Community Foundation through its annual bursary awards program. In 2024, 27 students shared over $58,000 in awards to help them achieve their educational goals.
“I have saved a lot for university, but the cost of tuition and living expenses are extravagant,” Kyra says. “With this bursary, I will not have to work during the school term, allowing me to focus more time on my studies.”
Already in her university career, Kyra has made strong connections with Indigenous people from other cultures. “As an Indigenous student at Bishops, I’ve had the opportunity to take a course where we learned about the Indigenous Ainu people in Japan,” she says. “We travelled to Japan to learn first-hand from the Ainu as part of a cultural exchange.”
Kyra is grateful for the help she’s received for her post-secondary education and wants to pay that kindness forward. “Thank you for believing in me and investing in my education. I plan to one day donate to a bursary to give back and help future students, as I understand how much they appreciate the support.”
