Salmo’s Corben Mikol, an L.V. Rogers Secondary student, has been named a 2025 Loran Scholar, securing a scholarship valued at more than $100,000.
Mikol is one of 36 exceptional youth from more than 6,000 applicants across Canada – and one of only six students in B.C. – named by the Loran Scholars Foundation as youth who have embraced the challenge of leaving the world better than they found it.
Loran Scholars graduate high school ready to pursue post-secondary education at one of 25 Canadian universities that partner in the Loran program.
SD8 notes that scholars benefit from a four-year leadership-enrichment program, diverse opportunities for experiential learning, financial support throughout undergraduate studies, and a network of values-driven peers and mentors.
“Being named a Loran Scholar is the greatest honour of my life. The opportunities provided [by the scholarship] lay a clear path where I once saw seemingly insurmountable obstacles,” said Mikol.
SD8 adds that Mikol’s dedication to music and community demonstrates his strength of character, deep commitment to service, and sparks of exceptional leadership potential – the traits the foundation looks for in applicants, and qualities that made him stand out.
Mikol has also served his community as the youth director for the Salmo District Arts Council, a member of the Salmo Youth and Community Centre Youth Advisory Committee, and through various volunteer roles at the Salmo Valley Public Library and during seasonal events.
Additionally, he’s a social media marketing intern with the Nelson Overtures Concert Society, studies and teaches piano, and is creating his own initiative to offer an introductory music course locally.
“Corben joined our school at the beginning of grade 11 and has impressed us with how conscientiously he applies himself in all areas of his studies and with how active he is as a youth leader in the music community both in Salmo and in Nelson. Corben has really earned this scholarship, and we have been grateful to be part of his support network in SD8 and to see him ready to continue his studies and leadership pursuits,” said L.V.R. Principal Dan Rude.
This past March, Mikol was part of Loran’s National Selections weekend in Toronto, where 90 finalists gathered, hoping to be named a 2025 Loran Scholar, and just over a third would earn that title.
“Although national selections were certainly a whirlwind, I’ve never felt so instantly welcome and comfortable within a community in my life.”
He said he felt an immediate sense of trust and common purpose among finalists.
“The staff, volunteers, returning scholars, and finalists were all very open and quite personal, creating a space for vulnerability within an event that was, to say the least, intensely emotional.”
Corben plans to pursue an undergraduate degree with a focus on cognitive science and English literature and is interested in working in academia or as a university professor in the future.
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