Abbotsford teen earns Indigenous youth scholarship
A Grade 12 student in Abbotsford has been named as one of 20 recipients of the RBC Future Launch Indigenous Youth Scholarship, valued at $10,000 per year for up to four years.
Clayton Ritchie, from Sumas First Nation, is graduating from Yale Secondary. He starts the sociology program at University of B.C. in the fall, with plans to become a lawyer and eventually open his own law firm.
Ritchie discovered a passion for law after he was selected as one of 12 students in the district to attended UBC’s Legal Boot Camp.
“This was a week-long introduction to the world of law where we walked through different education steps, from applying to university and what to expect, and eventually learning about all the different fields,” he said. “This gave me a stronger sense of the direction I want to take in life.”
After Ritchie completes his bachelor of arts, he plans to spend a year with his community in the longhouse and then hopes to attend the Peter Allard School of Law, specializing in criminal and Indigenous law.