Seven Students Get IT Scholarships, Strait Regional

Seven high school graduates from Nova Scotia received $1,000 each this week to pursue post-secondary studies in information technology.

The Department of Education awarded the scholarships to students who made good use of information technology either to further their own learning or to support others in their schools or communities.

"These scholarship winners share a natural drive to learn and have taught themselves a lot of what they know about computers," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "With further formal studies in IT, these young Nova Scotians can help grow the province's economy with their knowledge, skills and ideas."

One scholarship was awarded to a student in each of Nova Scotia's seven school boards. Ian Kennedy from Dr. John Hugh Gillis High School in Antigonish won the scholarship in the Strait regional school board.

Mr. Kennedy took an interest in computers when, at the age of six, he needed to learn how to install programs in order to play video games. Now he is developing his own programs. He has learned about technology through job shadowing the systems administrator at the local hospital and used his skills to develop a Web site for a fundraising event.

Recipients must use the scholarships to pursue IT programs at Nova Scotia post-secondary institutions. Mr. Kennedy plans to begin the computer science program at St. Francis Xavier University this fall.

The scholarships have been part of Nova Scotia's Information Economy Initiative which began in 1998. Funding for scholarships came from KnowledgeHouse, which was a supplier of technology for the initiative. The company provided funding for 21 scholarships over three years.

The Information Economy Initiative is a federal/provincial project which has co-ordinated the investment of more than $90 million in Internet connections, hardware, software, technical support and professional development for schools, universities and communities across Nova Scotia.