On behalf of the International Sailors’ Society of Canada, we are pleased to announce the succesfull recipients of their 2025 Sue Hanby Maritime Education Bursaries.
William Lea-Smith and Sebastian Slack.
William is a Nautical Sciences cadet currently in his first sea phase and will be going into his second year at BCIT Marine Campus for the Nautical Sciences Cadet Program come November, He is very passionate about the career path that he has chosen and will be attending this program until he graduates in 2027. His current plan is to return to school for an additional year to advance his education and turn his Advanced Diploma into a Degree.
Sebastian is also attending BCIT Marine Campus and is enrolled in the Marine Engineering Diploma program. Having worked as an Engine Room Apprentice with BC Ferries for several years Sebastian has made the difficult decision to leave his watch and regular paying position to pursue path that would allow him to progress his career quicker and in a structured classroom setting within the BCIT Marine Engineering Cadet program.
His immediate goal is to graduate the program with a fourth-class motor ticket and eventually work at sea as an exemplary fourth engineer set on the right path to Chief Engineer.
We wish William and Sebastian all the very best in their efforts to achieve these worthy goals and are pleased to have been able to provide some financial assistance to them.
We encourage all students enrolled in marine related studies to keep checking the ISSC web site for news regarding our bursary awards for 2026.
