(Photo 274038078 © Oasisamuel | Dreamstime.com)

By rdnewsNOW staff

120 applicants

Maskwacis student awarded Indigenous Scholarship from Alberta Blue Cross

Apr 24, 2025 | 11:52 AM

Alberta Blue Cross has announced nine recipients of its 2025 Indigenous Scholarship program, including a resident of Maskwacis.

Jolene Gopher, who attends Maskwacis Cultural College, is working on her Bachelor of Arts degree in the Cree language program.

She is an active member in her community and helps make shirts and traditional attire. Officials say she hopes to one day develop workshops and language resources for her community. Gopher is also a water keeper and wants to use her education to protect her language and identity.

“We’ve been privileged to support some incredibly deserving individuals in their education journeys through this program,” says Brian Geislinger, senior vice-president of Corporate Relations and Community Engagement with Alberta Blue Cross. “This year we have received a record number of applications for our Indigenous scholarship program—and we’re thrilled with the positive response to this program.”

Over the last 25 years, the Alberta Blue Cross Indigenous Scholarship program has helped Indigenous students reach their goals.

44-year-old man arrested

Charges laid following alleged assault in Mirror

7h ago

Hold off on implementation

Sylvan Lake council requests exemption for commercial use of golf carts in provincial pilot project

10h ago

Red Deer resident charged

Red Deer RCMP recover stolen guitar after finding it for sale online

12h ago

Each recipient was awarded $1,500 based on certain criteria, including personal goals and community involvement.

In order to be eligible, applicants must be a member of a First Nation or band, or have Inuit, Métis or Indian status. They must also be an Alberta resident, be enrolled in any full-time post-secondary certificate or diploma program at an Alberta-based, accredited post-secondary institution, and cannot be a previous scholarship recipient.

This year, organizers received 120 applications, which was 47 more than submitted in 2024. They’ll start accepting applications for the 2026 program on Sept. 9, 2025.

The other scholarship recipients include:

• Katarina Tinqui: Katarina is currently enrolled in the bachelor of arts for criminal justice at Mount Royal University. She moved from the Northwest Territories five years ago, making a difficult journey and adjustment to her new surroundings in her pursuit of becoming a member of the Calgary Police Service.
• Courtney Webber: Courtney is in the bachelor of business administration program at NAIT. She is a full-time student athlete and coached the team Alberta beach volleyball team in the North American Indigenous Games. She volunteers at Project Adult Literacy and wants to use her degree to host youth volleyball camps and build a volleyball program for Indigenous youth to compete.
• Leeander Young: Leeander is studying to get his Indigenous social work diploma at Yellowhead Tribal College. He grew up in a care facility and has witnessed his family and community’s struggles with addiction. He wants to help other youth and adults who are struggling with their mental health.
• Roberta Disbrowe: Roberta is working towards her child and youth care diploma at NorQuest College. She volunteers helping the unhoused with gathering and distributing warm items in the winter months along with water, bannock and biscuits in the warmer seasons. Her goal is to become a youth counsellor.
• Zoey Germain: Zoey is attending the University of Alberta for her aboriginal teachers education degree. She made a difficult relocation from the North, where she volunteered with the Yukon Women’s Council Association with beading, rallies, traditional arts and crafts workshops. Zoey wants to use education to create inclusive classrooms that integrate Indigenous traditions, histories and perspectives into daily learning. She is looking to be a mentor and advocate for Indigenous youth.
• Santana Manywounds: Santana is attending the University of Calgary for her social work degree. She was taught traditional Blackfoot patterns from her grandmother who learned from her grandmother and incorporates these into her beadwork and moccasin-making. She took a year off to manage addictions and help her family as her mother had breast cancer. Santana wants to work in her community in either addictions or family planning and is also looking to complete a master’s degree in social work.
• Brandie Schnettler: Brandie is a student in NAIT’s personal fitness trainer diploma program. She is a single mom to a three-year-old and has a social work background. Brandie is involved in her community (hosting round dances, ribbon skirt making, beading classes and powwow classes) and plans to use fitness training to help Indigenous communities.
• Jayne Scout: Jayne is working on her master’s in science in management at the University of Lethbridge. She is the only Indigenous graduate student at the Dhillion School of Business and the second from Kainai nation to enter current program. She is an advocate for 2SLGBTQIA youth, has a transgender son and was asked to participate in the Blackfoot Gender Justice Collective. Jayne wants to use her education to affect change for Indigenous people, especially women and two-spirited people.