By rdnewsNOW Staff

Maskwacis

Central Albertans among winners of Alberta Blue Cross Indigenous Scholarship

Apr 5, 2024 | 2:37 PM

Two central Albertans have been named among nine recipients of the 2024 Indigenous Scholarship program by Alberta Blue Cross.

The scholarship program for Indigenous students has been in effect for over 20 years. Officials say the nine scholarships of $1,500 were awarded based on personal goals, financial need and community involvement.

This year, the program received a total of 73 applications.

“We’ve been privileged to support some incredibly deserving individuals in their education journeys through this program,” said Brian Geislinger, senior vice-president of Corporate Relations and Community Engagement. “In 2023 we received a record number of applications for our Indigenous scholarship program, and based on this demand we doubled the number of mature student awards provided annually. We are thrilled to be continuing this program.”

This year’s recipients include:

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• Mel-Lisa Belcourt: a mother of four working towards her BA in Indigenous Social Work at Maskwacis Cultural College. She works with Asikiw Mostos O’pikinawasiwin (AMO) Society in Louis Bull to help bring children in care back to their community. Belcourt also works in the preventative program and assists with families and grocery support.
• Courtney Crane: an Indigenous Education student at Maskwacis Cultural College. She has been an education assistant at Ermineskin Elementary school for 12 years and was inspired by colleagues to go back to school and become a teacher. Crane said she recognizes the importance of having teachers who know the Cree culture and language, which she intends to pass on to her future students.
• Jordan Chayer: currently enrolled in the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program at the University of Alberta. Though only 19 years old, Chayer has organized community events to fundraise for local families and volunteers time and money to donate supplies to the unhoused in Edmonton. Her goal is to attain recognition on the first class standing.
• Hailey Shukaliak: in the Practical Nurse Diploma program at Portage College. She is very involved in the Métis community and volunteers with Girl Guides, the farmer’s market and Métis Nation of Alberta Region 1. She says she plans to use her degree to work in her community of Lac La Biche because she understands the need for medical professionals in the area.
• Demaris Young: also enrolled in the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program at the University of Alberta. Her mother is a teacher, and she says she wants to follow in her footsteps to make a difference for Indigenous youth and her community. Young received the Faculty of Education’s Undergraduate Celebration of Excellence and plans to use her education to work in her community.
• Robert Tate: studying to get his Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Concordia University of Edmonton. He is very involved in Indigenous culture and volunteers at sweat lodges, pipe ceremonies and sun dances in and around Edmonton. Tate plans on using his education to further work with Indigenous communities and is interested in working in correctional facilities.
• Penny Delver: working towards her Corrections diploma at MacEwan University. She said she decided to pursue a career in corrections because she saw how disproportionately Indigenous people are represented in correctional facilities but not as correctional officers. Delver added she wants to work in the system so she can change it. Her goal is to work as a probation officer after finishing school.
• Jennifer Auger: attending Yellowhead Tribal College for her Indigenous Social Work degree. She has volunteered extensively within her community, from youth mentoring in making native regalia to supporting her community through deaths to offering mental and emotional support to her community members. Auger is a hockey coach and has worked bingos to provide funding for youth programs.
• Michaela Lewis: student in SAIT’s Film and Video Production diploma and a frequent participant at the Indigenous Student Centre. A survivor of the 60s scoop, Lewis was taken at birth and illegally adopted to a non-Indigenous family until she was reunited with her birth family at 18 years of age. Lewis says she sees storytelling as a core value to Indigenous Peoples, and she intends to create documentaries that give a voice to her people and share their stories.

Alberta Blue Cross will begin accepting applications for next year’s program in September 2024.

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