Two students at studying at Maskwacis Cultural College have been awarded 2024 Indigenous Scholarships by Blue Cross.
Recipient Mel-Lisa Belcourt is a mother of 4 working towards her BA in Indigenous Social Work at Maskwacis Cultural College. She works with Asikiw Mostos O’pikinawasiwin Society in Louis Bull to help bring children in care back to their community. Mel-Lisa also works in the preventative program and assists with families and grocery support.
Another recipient is 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. Courtney recognizes the importance of having teachers who know the Cree culture and language, which she intends to pass on to her future students.
For more than 20 years, Indigenous students across Alberta have been able to reach their goals with the help of the Alberta Blue Cross scholarship program. These 9 scholarships of $1,500 are awarded based on personal goals, financial need and community involvement.
“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.
“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 program received a total of 73 applications. Alberta Blue Cross will begin accepting applications for next year’s program in September 2024.