UWinnipeg Student Ashten Field
The Waapshki Pinaysee Inini Bursary, first awarded in 2011, was created by UWinnipeg President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Lloyd Axworthy and his wife Denise Ommanney. They donated funds to establish the bursary in recognition of the day, in July 2010, when Dr. Axworthy became an honourary member of Sagkeeng First Nation and was given the name Waapshki Pinaysee Inini.
“I feel really proud, it makes me work even harder to do better in school,” said Field, who discovered the unique human rights program while attending a summer course at Global College called Adventures in Global Citizenship. “I love it. It is so different from high school, I like learning about women’s studies and international issues.”
Waapshki Pinaysee Inini White Thunderbird Man Bursary is worth $2,000 annually and awarded to a Sagkeeng First Nation full-time student pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies. If there are no eligible full-time students who apply, then a $1,000 bursary is available to a part-time student. The bursary is part of the Opportunity Fund, a UWinnipeg initiative that helps ensure economic circumstances are not a barrier to higher education and opportunities.
Find out more about Community Learning and Indigenous Scholarship at UWinnipeg.
UWinnipeg is the only university in Western Canada to offer a BA in Human Rights and Global Studies, which provides a formal structure for students interested in issues of social justice, global citizenship, and human rights. Through our Global College, students, faculty, scholars, and dignitaries from around the globe share diverse perspectives and engage in lectures and workshops that focus on issues affecting our planet.
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
