WINNIPEG, MB– The inaugural Winnipeg Police Service Opportunity Scholarships in Memory of Injured and Fallen Officers were awarded to Katrina Laberinto and Elizabeth Oliver through the UWinnipeg Opportunity Fund has made it possible to allow them to attend University.
Katrina Laberinto
“Originally I was stressed about being able to afford to go to university,” expressed Katrina Laberinto in pre-medicine and a Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute graduate and UWinnipeg alum with a bachelor of arts in business. “Thanks to the WPS Opportunity Scholarship a financial burden has been lifted from my shoulders giving me and my family financial relief that has brought me closer to reaching my goals and aspirations to return to school and become a doctor and remain in Manitoba.”
“I am grateful for this scholarship,” said Elizabeth Oliver who is in her third year of her bachelor of arts in criminal justice and a graduate of Argyle Alternative High School. “This helps minimize my financial strain and allows me to concentrate on my full time studies as a single parent of two. I am working towards becoming a probation officer, preferably with youth in the inner city as I spent my teen aged years living in the downtown area.”
Elizabeth Oliver
The Winnipeg Police Service Opportunity Scholarship in Memory of Injured and Fallen Officers scholarships are awarded annually and are renewable annually, with the intention that students receive scholarship support throughout their University degrees. These significant annual scholarships of $2,500, established by the Winnipeg Police Service, are to support educational opportunities for students from North End and Downtown Winnipeg high schools and were announced last December.
“The Winnipeg Police Service is honoured to partner with The University of Winnipeg on education”, said Keith McCaskill, Winnipeg Police Chief of Police. “We believe it is important to provide young people educational opportunities that would not otherwise be available.”
“This is a great example of how the WPS, the university and the community can work together to positively impact inner-city youth and improve society one story at a time,” said UWinnipeg President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Lloyd Axworthy. “Each student is unique and has the potential to excel in their desired fields. The Opportunity Fund is one way to empower students like Katrina and Elizabeth to help them meet their potential and offer them the financial support they need.”
The UWinnipeg Opportunity Fund aims to close the graduation gap by helping students who might otherwise lack resources attend The University of Winnipeg. The Opportunity Fund is supported by generous private and government donations, and which has a goal of building a $10-million endowment fund. The University of Winnipeg Foundation is pleased to assist you in donating to the Opportunity Fund. Please call 204.786.9995 or call toll free at 1.866.394.6050.
