Derek Buemann received a Paper Excellence Canada Bright Futures Scholarship and took a moment to share his story with us.

I would like to thank Paper Excellence Canada for the Bright Futures Scholarship. It means a lot to receive your support and it is helping me work towards my goals.

Last summer, I worked for the British Columbia Wildfire Service as a wildland firefighter. I plan to continue this over the summers as long as I am attending university. British Columbia is known for its lush and well managed forests, and they are an important part of our economy. Working to protect BC’s forestry industry brought me a sense of pride and accomplishment. I appreciate that your company has a vision to maintain sustainable manufacturing while improving the wellbeing of the communities in BC by giving to people like me!

I am currently in the Faculty of Applied Science studying first year engineering at UBC. In the later years of my degree, I would like to go into mechanical engineering, and then further specialize into aerospace engineering. Once I graduate, I would like to pursue a career in the space industry. I want to help develop new technologies that can push humankind to new horizons, but I also want to work on projects that will benefit us here on earth, such as data collecting satellites.

This scholarship has helped give me financial security and allowed me to focus on my degree rather than worrying about how I am going to pay for it. I am now more comfortable following my passions. Thank you.