Alberta Blue Cross® Indigenous scholarship program accepting applications until January 27, 2026

(Alberta) – Indigenous students across Alberta are encouraged to apply for the Alberta Blue Cross Indigenous scholarship program which awards post-secondary scholarships to 9 students across the province each year.

Awards are based on the applicants’ personal goals, financial need and community involvement. Indigenous students in Alberta enrolled full-time in an accredited post-secondary program of 2 or more years are eligible to apply. Each award is worth $1,500.

“Each year we are so impressed by the diverse applications we receive for this program, and last year we saw a record number of applications,” says Brian Geislinger, senior vice-president of Corporate Relations and Community Engagement with Alberta Blue Cross. “Many of the individuals who receive these awards share a passion for their communities and are looking to make an impact now and into the future.”

The 2025 Indigenous scholarship recipients including the following individuals:

• Katarina Tinqui is working toward a Bachelor of Arts for Criminal Justice degree and made the difficult journey from the Northwest Territories 5 years ago in pursuit of becoming a member of the Calgary Police Service.
• Courtney Webber is a passionate student athlete and coach who plans to use her Bachelor of Business Administration degree to host youth volleyball camps and build a volleyball program for Indigenous youth. She coached the Alberta Beach Volleyball team in the North American Indigenous Games and volunteers at Project Adult Literacy.
• Roberta Disbrowe is a volunteer helping the unhoused by gathering and distributing warm items in the winter along with bannock, water and biscuits in the warmer seasons. She is working toward her Child and Youth Care Diploma with the goal of becoming a youth counsellor.
• Zoey Germain was a volunteer with the Yukon Women’s Council Association. She relocated from the North to pursue her Aboriginal Teachers Education degree and is dedicated to using education to create inclusive classrooms that integrate Indigenous traditions, histories and perspectives into daily learning.
• Santana Manywounds is working towards a Social Work degree to help in either addictions or family planning and aims to complete a master’s degree. She incorporates traditional Blackfoot patterns into her beadwork and moccasin-making as passed down from grandmother to granddaughter in her family. She took a year off to manage addictions and help her family as her mother battled breast cancer.

Alberta Blue Cross has run the Indigenous scholarship program for more than 25 years with more than 100 scholarships awarded to Indigenous students. As part of Alberta Blue Cross’s commitment to wellness, the Indigenous scholarship program works to support overall community wellness and advance equitable access to post-secondary education for Indigenous students. Funding for the program comes from Alberta Blue Cross’s community foundation.

The deadline to apply is January 27, 2026. Scholarship recipients are selected by an external committee with expertise in academia and Indigenous education. Successful applicants will be contacted in early March.

More information about the scholarship program, including application forms, can be found at https://www.community.ab.bluecross.ca/programs/indigenous-scholarships.php.