Scholarship Helping SFU Dream Come True

“This scholarship has brought my dream one step closer to becoming a reality.”

So says Jacob Pohl, one of seven recipients of Mowi Canada West’s scholarships this year, noting the funds will help him as he heads to Simon Fraser University to major in Resource and Environmental Management.

Receiving a scholarship is an achievement in itself; that he did so while finishing Grade 12 and working at the Port Hardy Processing Plant demonstrated outstanding effort.

“Working full time and finishing high school was definitely a challenge,” Jacob says. “Working a 4-and-3 shift has been extremely helpful, so that I had an extra day plus the weekend to work on my schooling.

“The main reason that I was able to work, however, is because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he adds. “With all of the course work being moved online, I was able to work during the day, then do some schooling after work and on the weekends. Classes were also held in an online format, and even though many of them were during my work hours, I could record them to watch later.”

Jacob has worked for Mowi for over two months, and is one of the regular workers on the processing floor, rotating between the Y2, Baaders, Bad and Lid stations, and occasionally in the Styrofoam room.

The staggered work schedule provided flexibility that enabled Jacob to maintain a 92% grade point average during his final year of high school.

“Now that classes are all online, there is less one-on-one teacher assistance, which has proven to be difficult, but not impossible,” he states. “I will be living in residence at the (SFU) Burnaby campus in the fall, and I believe this degree will open up a very wide range of job opportunities for me, from environmental monitoring technician, to consulting, to industrial air quality treatments.

“In a rapidly expanding world, with high demand for environmental concern, this degree will be a very solid foundation for any avenue I pursue later in my life.”

He is beyond grateful to be a Mowi scholarship recipient.

“I think that the direction this scholarship takes – choosing recipients based on not only their future plans, but their interests and passions as well – really shows that Mowi cares about our success occupationally as well as personally,” he says. “Thank you, Mowi Canada West!”