Fort McMurray, Alberta (October 18, 2022) — Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta (Girls Inc.) and Syncrude are excited to announce this year’s recipients of the Women of Inspiration Education Award presented by Syncrude. The three scholars are: 

• Hannah MacDonald for the Barb Jewers Memorial Scholarship
• Ella Nelson for the Elsie Yanik Memorial Scholarship
• Tara Neville for the Ann Dort-MacLean Scholarship

They join 27 other women who have been proudly assisted by Girls Inc. and Syncrude since 2013.

These three scholarships recognize young women in Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo who are breaking barriers and creating change through their post-secondary studies. The women receiving these scholarships are role models for girls in our community. They inspire them to be strong, smart and bold.

MacDonald, Nelson and Neville were selected by our Women of Inspiration committee of 32 applicants.  

As presenting partner of these awards Kerry Barwick, Director,  Syncrude Bitumen Production Maintenance and Angela Yarkie, Director, Syncrude Mildred Lake Mining said “We are pleased to support the Women of Inspiration scholarships recognizing women who make a difference in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. Congratulations to Hannah, Ella and Tara.” 

Two of the three scholarships have been named after former Women of Inspiration. The Barb Jewers Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an applicant who demonstrates sincere commitment to volunteerism and community activism, while the Elsie Yanik Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an applicant with demonstrated commitment to Indigenous advocacy and community engagement.

The third scholarship, the Ann Dort-MacLean Scholarship, is awarded to an applicant with demonstrated passion for youth empowerment and gender equality. This award is named after Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta’s founder to honour her legacy. 

The three awards are selected based on financial need, academic achievement, and extracurricular and community involvement. They are awarded to those who identify themselves as women who are pursuing post-secondary studies in, but not limited to, college or university. Technical or Trades studies are also eligible.

“We received 32 applications this year. Every year we see more inspiring girls breaking the glass ceiling and being agents of positive change,” said Sundas Shamshad, Interim Executive Director, Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta. “We at Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta believe that education is the driving force of empowerment and are honored to partner with Syncrude to recognize these three talented recipients. We are excited to see what Hannah, Tara and Ella will accomplish to inspire young girls of our community and beyond.”

Hannah MacDonald, who has been selected for the Barb Jewers Memorial Scholarship, is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Alberta to major in Political Science. She wants to make substantial and lasting change in the world by fixing institutional and systemic challenges and building new ways for the law and society to be more beneficial in helping all of humanity and the environment. 

Fitting with her long term goals of securing a position in government and moving up the hierarchy to a role such as Prime Minister, she worked her way up through student council and won the presidency two years in a row. During her time as student council president she worked closely with various groups to build unity within the school’s community. Her work included, but was not limited to, working with Indigenous groups for Truth and Reconciliation, including raising donations for foundations built around advocating for Indigenous Peoples. 

When asked what she would say to younger generations, MacDonald acknowledged it won’t always be easy.

“No matter what you’re going to do, it’s going to be hard. If it’s worth it and you’re passionate about it, you have to move through that and try to stick with it as far as you can go. You will come across those obstacles, but you will also cross them.” 

MacDonald is passionate about the prevention of violence against women and raised thousands of dollars for Waypoints, a non-profit helping individuals affected by domestic, family and sexual violence. 

Ella Nelson, who has been selected for the Elsie Yanik Memorial Scholarship, is a Métis woman pursuing Environmental Science at the University of Calgary after switching from Biological Sciences. She hopes to minor in Indigenous Studies to focus more on the land, or a combined degree. Her goal is to bring clean water to Indigenous communities. She says she will start by getting a job in the environmental field, like an environmental scientist or consultant, and continue to work towards creating her own project to implement clean water. 

Nelson says it’s passion that is the most important driving force to reaching your goals. 

“No matter what your passion is, it’s going to get you somewhere in life. Don’t think about what other people want you to be or what’s expected of you. Find your passion and just do what you like because that’s what’s going to make you the happiest and most successful in life.” 

She has volunteered for many Indigenous community events including Métis Fest. She says she loved having the opportunity to share her culture, while continuing to learn. Currently, she is involved with the Indigenous community on campus through the Writing Symbols Lodge where she volunteers and spreads awareness about issues affecting Indigenous communities, like the lack of clean water.

During the summer, she toured reclaimed wetlands with Elders from her community where she learned traditional knowledge about plant life and how to pay respect to the earth after harvesting plants.

Tara Neville, who has been selected for the Ann Dort-MacLean Scholarship, is pursuing a Master of Counselling at the University of Calgary. She is passionate about positive psychology and animal-assisted therapies and hopes to focus her practice on youth, women and their families. She wants to bring animals and nature into her practice to help clients build bonds and address traumas where talk therapy has been unsuccessful. 

“Give yourself some self-compassion.” said Neville “There are so many things that go on in our lives and sometimes we are our own biggest critic. If you can offer yourself some compassion, pause and honour all the things that you have done so far it’s going to take you a long way. Ultimately, you’re going to make your way into the path you need to take.”

Following her Master of Counselling, she hopes to complete advanced training in nature-based therapy so she can introduce the service to women and youth as nature-based wellness workshops. She also wants to continue her Equine Facilitated Wellness training and begin her certification with Postpartum International to specialize in perinatal mental health. She says following her journey into motherhood during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, she found a passion for helping other women through this transition, especially in rural areas of the province where specialized services may be more limited.

Eventually, Neville would like to open a private practice offering in-person and virtual counselling, as well as wellness workshops and retreats along with collaborative services. 

“I think there have been a lot of events that have gone on for people over the past couple of years, in that collective trauma sense, that are now coming out and people are starting to want to come back and address some things that have maybe built up.”

In the past, she has worked with youth and vulnerable populations in various roles. She volunteers with the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre helpline, where she assists individuals across the province who may be facing trauma and other mental health concerns.

Her practicum placement is with Some Other Solutions where she will provide support to those in the region through pro bono counselling.