Undergraduate Scholarship – Caitey Gilchrist

Caitey’s early years were spent catching insects and making puzzle pieces from Ponderosa pine bark. While she had an innate connection to nature, she also had a creative spark that drove her into a career in graphic design. After a decade of working in various marketing roles, she felt that something important was missing from her life, and decided to hike the West Coast Trail. After a week’s immersion in lush forests and estuaries, she realized she wanted to spend the next chapter of her life protecting our planet’s natural resources. In 2019, Caitey started a new educational journey, taking BCIT’s Forest & Natural Areas Management program. There, she reignited a love for forest health and entomology that prompted her to pursue further training. Equipped with passion for environmental protection, Caitey is returning to BCIT in 2024 to complete a Bachelor of Science in Ecological Restoration.

Graduate Scholarship – Daniel Stewart

Daniel was born and raised in the Lower Mainland and now resides in Burnaby with his wife and two young kids. Since 2014 Daniel has worked as a self-employed consultant (Asarum Ecological Consulting), working with species at risk, rare plants, and estuarine ecosystems in southwestern British Columbia. Daniel took a hiatus from his work to complete a Master’s at UBC in 2018, when he investigated the undetected invasion of hybrid cattails in the Fraser River Estuary. He is now taking a similar hiatus to complete a PhD at UBC in Tara Martin’s Conservation Decisions Lab, where he is hoping to explore innovative new ways of building and restoring tidal marshes in Pacific Northwest Estuaries. On the side Daniel loves to play piano and guitar, and is an avid gardener.