November 2018
Fort McMurray – Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta is very pleased to announce the winners of its Women of Inspiration Education Scholarships, sponsored by Syncrude.
Kennedy Dirk, Vaishvi Patel, and Maria Golosky will each receive a $3,000 scholarship to be used towards their post-secondary education. These young ladies each submitted strong essays outlining career objectives and aspirations.
Kennedy, awarded the Barb Jewers Memorial Scholarship, is currently studying kinesiology at Western University. She plans to transfer to the University of Alberta (UofA) next year to study medicine on her way to becoming a doctor. Her goal is to work in the field of geriatric medicine in Fort McMurray, specializing in female and Indigenous health. Kennedy has a long history of volunteering including with the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre and the Edmonton Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital as well as the Alzheimer Society in Ontario and participating in a volunteer health care mission to Cape Town, South Africa.
Enrolled in the BSC Engineering program at the UofA, Maria was awarded the Elsie Yanik Memorial Scholarship, awarded to a qualifying applicant with First Nations or Metis ancestry. Yet to choose which faculty of engineering she would like to pursue, Maria choose engineering with the goal of eventually being able to lessen the large footprint humankind leaves behind on our Earth. Her dream is to work within Indigenous communities to aid with water quality and land reservation. Maria has volunteered at such community events as the Relay for Life and the FMFD annual pancake breakfast. Last year, she attended the Indsprire Awards where she had the opportunity to interact with other indigenous students and Elders from across Canada.
Currently working towards her Bachelors of Science with Honors Physiology at the UofA, Vaishvi has been presented with the Ann Dort-Maclean Scholarship. Her goal is to apply to medical school and ultimately practice as an obstetrician/gynecologist while continuing her research in preventative medicine. While she has been involved in the Mommy and Baby Project in Fort McMurray, Vaishvi is also involved with the UofA Ambassador Program and is a member of the ArtsForYoungSTARS executive team. She also volunteers as a mentor at the university. Closer to home, Vaishvi has been involved with the YMCA Fort McMurray as a youth co-ordinator and camp counsellor and a pharmacy assistant at a local pharmacy .
Girls Inc. received 22 applications from across the Wood Buffalo region and the successful recipients were selected in a blind review by the Scholarship Committee which was comprised of members of the Board of Directors. Selection was based on financial need, academic achievements, and extracurricular and community involvement.
Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta and Syncrude wish Kennedy, Vaishvi, and Maria all the best.
For more information call,
Nanase Tonda,
Executive Director, 780-790-9236
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