Canadian women in the STEM field — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math — have received $45,000 in scholarships, courtesy of De Beers Group.
A total of 10 recipients, who were announced on Wednesday, each received $4,500 each. Approximately 475 people applied with eight of the 10 winners hailing from the NWT.
“It’s clear from the overwhelming response that there is still a need to accelerate opportunities for women in STEM,” said Moses Madondo, managing director of De Beers Group Managed Operations. “As a company committed to building forever, we remain focused on identifying and removing systemic barriers to social and economic inclusion because we recognize that equal opportunity will benefit us all.”
Scholarship winners include:
| Amelie Aubrey-Smith, Bachelor of Science, NWT | Brenna Beck, Bachelor of Science, NWT |
| Jada Beck, Undergraduate in Medical Education, NWT | Zoe Clark, Bachelor of Science, NWT |
| Rosalyn French, Bachelor of Science, NWT | Emma Gelinas, Bachelor of Science, Ontario |
| Shelby Martin, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, NWT | Crystal Mitchell, Diploma in Environmental Technology, Nunavut |
| Angela Storr, Bachelor of Commerce, Business Technology Management, NWT | Stella Wong, Bachelor of Applied Science, NWT |
Scholarship recipient Zoe Clark described how the award has impacted her life.
“It’s a really big deal for me. Being so far away from Yellowknife, in Halifax, especially because it’s so expensive to live in Halifax,” she said. “It’s already a dream come true to go to Dalhousie (University). (They have) one of the best marine biology programs in Canada.
“Being away from home is so stressful and being a student is stressful because you have financial burdens. It’s just a big relief because (the scholarship lets) me focus fully on school and do the best that I can in my program.”
Clark has had a life-long interest in marine biology, something she explored in high school, and plans to pursue in university.
“I’m going to Dalhousie for marine biology. It’s my first year so I’m just doing general sciences right now, and then I declare my major,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do marine biology. I did a project on the coral reef in my high school and ever since then, I’ve kind of been super interested.”
Clark said that she received an email from Sir John Franklin High School, the school she attended before university, about the scholarship, and that her father encouraged her to apply.
She shared her surprise, excitement, and her gratefulness to De Beers Group and her teachers.
”I’m definitely super happy and super grateful. I was really surprised that I even got the scholarship to be honest,” she said. “I really appreciate all the help and hard work the teachers provided throughout my years in high school. I couldn’t have done this without them.”
The scholarships presented this year were part of De Beers’ Building Forever program, a three-year, $135,000 plan launched earlier this year, aimed at making a lasting contribution to Yellowknife and other communities they operate in. The scholarship awards follow the success of a partnership between De Beers Group and UN Women that provided $408,000 USD in scholarships to support Canadian women in STEM between 2018 and 2021.
De Beers has set a goal of engaging 10,000 girls and women in STEM by 2030 to achieve equal status and pay between genders across workforce by 2030.