Seventeen-year-old Abigail Greaves came to study theatre at The University of Winnipeg the long way ‘round. She started out in Devon, England, went to high school at Shevchenko Collegiate in Vita, Manitoba and now finds herself centre stage at UWinnipeg’s Asper Centre for Theatre and Film. Greaves is the first recipient of UWinnipeg’s Garnet Kyle Scholarship, worth up to $40,000 - the largest offered to a Canadian student at UWinnipeg. It allows for $10,000 per year of studies to cover tuition and books, accommodation and food. The scholarship is unique in that it specifically supports a rural student from Dominion City and the surrounding area for undergraduate or graduate studies at UWinnipeg.

“My parents had a midlife crisis four years ago and decided to leave England to become farmers in Manitoba,” laughs Greaves, whose family settled near Vita in 2007 to raise sheep. ”I came from a small high school in Vita with a graduating class of just 26 people, so I was scared coming to UWinnipeg at first. But I am finding my way around, and the atmosphere is strict but laid back at the same time.”

The Garnet Kyle Scholarship is achievement-based, awarded to a grade 12 student with an average of 90 percent or higher.

“I am really thankful,” says Greaves. “This has enabled a smooth transition for me from high school to university.”

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