2023 Student Bursaries Awarded by Council

Council awarded the 2023 Student Bursaries to recipients at the August 8, 2023 Council Meeting. 

This year saw a record number of applicants, with Levi Boychuk, Aron Derksen, Jessie Derksen, Sierra Evans, Lauren Konashuk, Lukas Konashuk, Madison Langlois, Arika Pullishy, Evan Pullishy, Chloe Richard, Dane Singer, and Ethan Willms all receiving $2,100 from Saddle Hills County and $1,000 from the Northern Alberta Development Council to put towards their studies.

Sierra, Arika, Evan, Chloe, and Ethan were all present at Council to receive their awards.

Levi Boychuk
Levi will be attending Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree, aiming to transfer to the University of Alberta in his second year. He hopes to one day become an accountant, offering his services to Peace Region residents and producers. 

Aron Derksen
Aron will be beginning the first year of his University Transfer in Engineering at Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie, with the aim of pursuing a degree in Mechatronics Engineering. The course aims to give students a range of skills in mechanical, electrical, control, and computer engineering allowing them to pursue careers in robotics and automation. He would like to apply this knowledge to agricultural technology to aid farmers and optimize the eficiency of modern farming practices. 

Jessie Derksen
Jessie is a previous recipient of the Saddle Hills County student bursary and is now entering his third year of post-secondary education, studying Mechnical Engineering at the University of Alberta.

Sierra Evans (award presented by Reeve Alvin Hubert)
Sierra was present at Council to receive her award from her ward Councillor, Reeve Hubert. She will begin studying for her Bachelors of Education through an online course at the University of Calgary, specializing in Early Elementary to K-3. The course allows students to complete their degree online with the exception of a two week course every July. She has two more years to complete before becoming a qualified teacher. By remaining in the community to complete her degree she has been able to undertake her practicums at the Bonanza School, where she hopes to teach upon graduation. 

Lauren Konashuk
Lauren is entering her third year of post-secondary education, studying for a Bachelor of Science, specializing in Immunology and Infectious Disease at the University of Alberta. She is a previous recipient of the County's student bursary program and hopes to return to Northern Alberta  to become a general surgeon upon graduation. She continues to study for the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and plans to write the exam at the end of the summer, applying to the MD program at the UoA in the coming years.

Lukas Konashuk
Lukas is a prior recipient of the Saddle Hills County student bursary program and will be entering his second year of post-secondary education, studying for a Business Management Bachelor degree at Concordia University of Edmonton. He is thankful for the opportunity the bursary gave him during his first year of studies and is excited to take on the challenge of new programs, including finance and economics. While he has no concrete plans for the completion of his degree, he hopes to develop the skills to be able to start his own business in the Peace Region. 

Madison Langlois
Madison will be entering her second year of post-secondary education, studying Agricultural Services at Olds College. Born and raised in the Peace Country on her family's farm and with all four grandparents farming and running homesteads in the area, she is well versed in the many different elements that make up the agriculture sector. Her goal upon graduation is to work as a crop advisor or in sales at a local grain company and to one day have her own family farm.

Arika Pullishy (award presented by Councillor Gerry Richard)
Arika was present at Council to receive her award from her ward Councillor, Gerry Richard. She will be entering her first year at Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie studying for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Upon completion of her degree she hopes to work at the Grande Prairie Hospital in one of the following fields: ER, ICU, neonatal intensive care, or as a nurse practitioner.

Evan Pullishy (award presented by Councillor Gerry Richard)
Evan was present at Council to receive his award from his ward Councillor, Gerry Richard.  Evan is entering his fourth year at the University of Alberta studying for his BSc in Biological Sciences and Nutrition. He tranferred to the UoA after completing the first two years of his post-secondary education at Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie. Evan is a previous recipient of the student bursary and his goals remain the same, upon completion of his degree he plans to apply to either medical or graduate school to train to become a healthcare professional. 

Chloe Richard (award presented by Councillor Gerry Richard)
Chloe was present at Council to receive her award from her ward Councillor, Gerry Richard. Chloe will be attending her second year of post-secondary education at Vancouver Island University to study for a BA in Criminology. She hopes to continue in the crimonology field post-graduation, as a lawyer or in another crime-related field.

Dane Singer
Dane will be entering his first year at Lethbridge College studying Natural Resource Compliance. After two years of studying he will enroll in the Conservation Enforcement program to obtain his Bachelor of Science degree. He aims to become an Alberta Fish and Wildlife Officer and credits his time spent growing up in rural Saddle Hills County with instilling in him a love of nature and conservation.

Ethan Willms (award presented by Deputy Reeve Kristen Smith and Councillor Ed Armagost)
Ethan was present at Council to receive his award from his ward Councillor, Deputy Reeve Smith, and Councillor Ed Armagost. He will be entering his first year of the University Transfer Program in Enginerring at Northwestern Polytechnic in Grande Prairie, with the hopes of transferring to the University of Edmonton for his second year. He has no set plans for graduation and is excited to explore all aspects of the Engineering field throughout his studies. 

Student Eligibility

Candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Be a resident of Saddle Hills County for a minimum of one year and have minimum one year's residency in Alberta immediately prior to the application date
• Be enrolled full time in a post-secondary program recognized by Alberta Advanced Education
• Be committed to living and working in northern Alberta
• Have reasonably good prospects for employment in northern Alberta after graduation

Bursary Application Process

Candidates must:

• Write a paragraph of at least 500 words detailing their chosen field of study
• Supply two (2) letters of reference
• Complete the bursary application

 For more information on Saddle Hills County bursaries and how to apply, head to the Grants and Bursaries page.