Independent filmmaker awarded Vanier scholarship – Royal Roads

August 18, 2014

An award-winning independent filmmaker is the first Royal Roads University student to be awarded a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. 

Sarah Abbott, a Doctor of Social Sciences researcher at Royal Roads, will receive $50,000 a year for three years as part of the prestigious scholarship for academic excellence, research potential and leadership.

“Hearing the news that my application had been successful was incredible, exciting and a little surreal! It’s a deeply wonderful honour,” she says. “It feels great to be able to recognize that and give back by sharing my learning and research in a public way through film.”

During her doctorate studies, Abbott intends to combine her experience with previous film, media literacy and empowerment projects with social science approaches to make a film that examines factors associated with high rates of suicide among Indigenous people.

Read More: http://www.royalroads.ca/news/independent-filmmaker-awarded-vanier-scholarship