January 2014
(Fort McMurray) Each year, Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta provides programming to hundreds of girls all across the region. They work diligently to show the girls the possibilities of what they can achieve, and last year decided to show their girls ‘what they can become’. To accomplish this, the Women of Inspiration (WOI) program was born.
The WOI series, presented by Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta and Syncrude, recognizes twelve women each year who make the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) a great place to live, work and raise families. The goal of the series is to honour women who have contributed countless efforts to their community and have inspired other women and girls to do the same. These women truly embody the Girls Inc. mantra of Strong, Smart & Bold.
Last year, as part of the WOI series, Girls Inc. provided three $5000 education awards to three female students from the RMWB for the pursuit of post-secondary education at a recognized post-secondary institution. The amazing young women who received these scholarships were; Cassandra Larson, Ashlesha Deshpandre and Anam Rizvi. The first half of each scholarship was awarded at the beginning of their first semester, and it has now come time to award the second half for their second semester. The girls have kept in touch with Girls Inc., telling of exciting growth and experience so far, and of great hopes for the future.
Ashlesha’s passion is science and research and her 90% grades earned her acceptance to the University of Alberta, where she is working towards her BSC and then on to Medical School. Cassandra is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Education at Graceland University in the USA, and her career goal is to become a High School Math and Science teacher and to coach sports and theatre in her spare time. Anam is attending the University of Alberta in the General Engineering program with plans to continue on to the University of Waterloo for Mechanical Engineering and then onto a career that will hopefully integrate engineering into health care. Girls Inc. couldn’t be happier to hear of the success these young women are experiencing so far.
Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta and Syncrude will again be offering the Women of Inspiration Education Award as part of this year’s Women of Inspiration Series. The award will be provided to a student, or students, pursuing studies in university, colleges or technical/trades schools and will be given based on financial need, academic achievement and extracurricular and community involvement.
Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta Executive Director, Ann Dort MacLean, says, “We are proud to offer this education award as part of our Women of Inspiration program. The program is all about women who drive positive change and embody the Girls Inc. mantra of Strong, Smart and Bold, and we believe education is a key component in that. We hope that through this education award we can help someone fulfill their potential and become their own woman of inspiration.”
For information on award criteria and guidelines, and to download an application form, visit www.girlsincofnorthernalberta.org. Prospective applicants can also contact the Girls Inc. office at 780-790-9236 for further information.
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