Inuvik student, ‘still in disbelief,’ wins $25K award

A first-year university student from Inuvik has become the first Inuit winner of a STEAM Horizon award worth $25,000, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation said.

Tyra Cockney-Goose said she was shocked to find out she’d won, as she’d hastily applied right before the deadline when she found out about the program.

The awards are run by the Ingenium Foundation, which supports three major Canadian museums. STEAM refers to science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Five students from across Canada were presented with this year’s STEAM Horizon awards on April 25 at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa.

Cockney-Goose was the only female winner this year.

“I was quite shocked when I found out that I got the award,” she said.

“I wasn’t really expecting much going into it. I was very surprised. I’m still in disbelief right now.”

The scholarship money supports students pursuing post-secondary education.

“I’m very grateful that they considered me,” she continued, adding the application process was “pretty hectic” as she rushed to get documents together before the deadline.

In addition to the usual paperwork, Cockney-Goose also had to make a two-minute video highlighting her accomplishments and plans for the future.

“I plan on coming back north to teach math,” she said.

Cockney-Goose has just returned home for the summer after completing the first year of her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at the University of Victoria.

She’ll spend the summer working for the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation as a climate change and environmental policy assistant.

“She is … an example of what youth from the IRS (Inuvialuit Settlement Region) can accomplish in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math,” stated the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation in a news release.