John North, the new Chair of the North Island College Foundation (NICF) board, knows what an education can do.

As a youngster in England, despite being in a family of educators, he was not the best student, but by the time he was in university he gravitated toward physics and chemistry. Math was not his natural strength, so for his third study area he looked at a list of subjects and found the biology of cells. He gave it a try and discovered his passion.

“It was for me so exciting,” he said. “That became my career.”

North was chosen as Chair at the September NICF board meeting. As he says, he had the good fortune to receive a fully government-funded education. He sees his new role with the foundation as a way to support young people in finding their own path through education.

Joining North on the board are:  Danna Chan, Treasurer, Campbell River; Christine Dickinson, Director, Comox Valley; Nicole Deters, Director, Comox Valley; Sarah Witherow, Director, Comox Valley; Hector Alvarado, Director, Campbell River; Shannon Baikie, Vice Chair, Campbell River; Shane Landreville, Director, Comox Valley; Bruce Turner, Board of Governors Representative, NIC; Stephen McNeil, Director, North Island; and Colin Fowler, Vice-President, NIC, Finance (ex officio)

North furthered his education, worked as a lab instructor and earned his PhD at Cambridge in immunology. After almost a decade in fundamental immunology, virology and oncology research in academic laboratories in the United Kingdom and the U.S., he moved into team and program management responsibilities in the biotechnology field. He then moved to Canada in 1998, retiring in Comox in 2012.

He also served as a Director and Vice-President of the Science Fair Foundation of BC and as Director and Secretary of the Dr. Michael Smith Science Fair Endowment. His other volunteer work includes the Rotary Club of Comox.

North has long been involved with North Island College, having taught courses in ElderCollege, including the Comox Valley campus. He also spent three years as Chair of the Comox Valley ElderCollege volunteer management team.

“As a consequence of that, I knew quite a number of people involved in the college and I knew a number of people involved in the Foundation,” he said.

For 35 years, NICF has worked with communities to support and remove barriers for NIC students through scholarships, bursaries, emergency funds, innovative learning spaces and essential equipment. Last year, it distributed $1 million through the awards program, and North knows the Foundation needs to get out into communities to keep attracting donors to help students with the costs of getting an education, so that they have the same chances he had.

“There is no question in my mind that having opportunities for higher education makes a real difference in people’s lives,” he said. “I have this lifelong belief that education’s really good for everybody,”

About the NIC Foundation

The NIC Foundation has been advancing student success, education and community growth through NIC since 1991. It supports NIC students through scholarships and bursaries, classroom equipment and technology investments, so that each can pursue post‐secondary education, train for a new career or develop employable skills.

To support the NIC Foundation and make a difference in the lives of post‐secondary students, call 250-334-5074 or visit foundation.nic.bc.ca.