The Winkler Community Foundation announced the awarding of forty-five Gordon Wiebe Education Awards this year, totaling more than $100,000, and continuing to uplift and support students from Winkler and surrounding areas as they pursue higher education this fall.
This marks the eighth year of granting from the Gordon Wiebe Education Fund, established in 2017 with a generous bequest from the estate of former pharmacist Gordon Wiebe. Having distributed over $776,250 in scholarships to date, the fund has significantly impacted the lives of many young students.
The 2024 awards were divided into three different categories, with thirty-four going towards the Ongoing Education Support Awards, three towards the Make it a Reality Awards, and eight toward the Gordon Wiebe High School Graduate Awards.
This year’s recipients are enrolled in a wide array of programs at thirteen different institutions across Canada, with fields of study ranging from engineering and social work to pharmacy and arts.
Isaiah Nissley, a current Ongoing Education Support (OES) recipient, shared, “This scholarship will ease my financial burden, and it opens up an opportunity to take a third year of college which I was previously unsure about due to cost. Thank you for believing in my potential and for the opportunities this award will bring.”
Michelle Baier, another OES recipient, said: “Thank you very much for your gracious funding towards my education. With your generous help you have given me the opportunity to serve the community as a licensed pharmacist starting in 2025.”
Continue reading for the full list of 2024 Award Recipients.
2024 Award Recipients
Make it a Reality Award ($25,000 over four years)
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Alyssa Neufeld (Education)
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Returning recipients: Tina Reimer (Education), Viktoria Maschkin (Social Work)
Ongoing Education Support ($2,000 per year, up to three years)
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2024 Recipients: Eric Xu (Engineering), Chantal Human (Social Work), Tabea Nikel (Psychology), Clarissa Unger (Arts), Noah Schaefer (Nursing), Curtis Unger (Nursing), Brady Hibert (Sciences), Isaiah Nissley (Graphic design), Carah Wiebe (University 1), Lucas Ens (Business and management), Michelle Baier (Pharmacy), Rylan Toews (Biblical Studies), Carly Unrau (Agriculture), Griffon Hart (Arts), Anna Snytko (Business and Management), Rebecca Wiebe (Agriculture), Aliya Toews (Massage Therapy).
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Renewing Students: Cerulean Wolfe (Education), Kali Falk (Nursing), Emily Penner (Social Work), Michael Neufeld (Biblical Studies), Divine Beghela (Accounting), Jakiya Friesen (Education), and Erica Lepp (Business Administration), Kezra Gerbrandt (Pharmacy), Teagan Wall (Nursing), Nathan Lepp (Sciences), Rachel Klassen (Arts), Amanda Toews (Medical Radiologic Technology), Evan Xu (Engineering), Daniel Friesen (Education), John Trinke (MBA), Jennifer Siemens (Education), Calissa Penner (Medicine).
Garden Valley School Division Graduate Awards ($2,000):
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Garden Valley Collegiate: Beth Giesbrecht (Music), Nicholas Unrau (Science), Jaren Hildebrand (Education), Gryphon Dyck (Computer Science).
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Northlands Parkway Collegiate: Ava Lysohirka (Arts), Solomon Singisingi (Criminology), Jeremy Lloyd (Business), Cadence Harder (Education).