Former UBC student Evan Adams is getting rave reviews and not just for his acting.
Using proceeds from a benefit screening of his latest movie, Smoke Signals, Adams has established a bursary in his name for other First Nations health sciences students to pursue their studies.
Adams, who is from the Sliammon First Nation of the Coast Salish people, completed his pre-med courses this year and has been accepted to the medical school at the University of Calgary.
"I don't know how I would have made it through UBC without the support of the First Nations House of Learning," Adams says.
The First Nations House of Learning and the First Nations Health Careers (FNHC) division helped him incorporate an aboriginal perspective into his courses at UBC, he says.
Adams has been acting for about 15 years and is also a professional playwright.
Smoke Signals is about two friends who leave their reservation on a long road trip where they learn about themselves and the world off the reservation. The film is being shown at theatres in Vancouver and across North America.
Those wishing to contribute to the Evan Adams Health Sciences Bursary can contact Doreen Hughes at 604-822-2115.