Helping Northern stars shine even brighter

We’re excited to award this year’s Northern Futures Scholarship winners. Join us in celebrating these Northern students on their hard work and dedication. 

Every year we give six $4000 scholarships to students from communities across the North. We also offer summer employment opportunities and the chance to work with our team upon graduation. 

Congratulations to the 2021 Northern Futures Scholarship winners. We look forward to seeing your many bright futures ahead.  

Elizabeth Aglukark  

Arviat, Nunavut

While working in the hotel industry, I saw the tireless work and dedication  it takes to be successful in business – their constant motivation and eagerness planted the idea of business ownership in my future and the desire to pursue an accounting degree.

My experience lead me to apply to the Telfer School of Business at the University of Ottawa. With the help of my instructors and mentors I was accepted into the accounting program where I am now studying to complete my Honours Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting. I would like to work  towards starting a business in Nunavut – preferably in the Kivalliq so I can be near my family and friends. 

I want to thank Northern Futures and Northwestel for their contribution and support of my education. I am beyond grateful for this scholarship. It will provide me with the ease of mind to focus on my studies.

Marek Boulerice 

Whitehorse, Yukon 

My name is Marek Boulerice and I am a 4th year mechanical engineering student currently enrolled at the University of British Columbia. I was born and raised in Whitehorse. Living in the Yukon has instilled within me a love for the North, and the outdoors. Growing up camping and hiking with my family, I developed a strong attachment to the environment, along with an urge to protect it. 

Above all else, I have always wanted to be able to help others, society and the environment.  I aspire to have a net positive impact on the world with my career. Understanding the components, mechanisms and forces present within a system or machine led me to pursue a specialization in mechanical engineering.  

My goal is to be continually challenged by my employment and to push myself and develop solutions toward new innovations. 

Receiving Northwestel's Northern Futures Scholarship has helped remove much of the financial stress that comes from being a student away from home. With this grant, I don't need to worry about to taking out loans or work a side job to cover tuition. I can instead fully focus on my studies, while leading a healthier and more balanced life.

Rochelle Tartak 

Rankin Inlet, Nunavut 

My name is Rochelle. I am an Inuk woman from Arviat, Nunavut. Arviat is a Tightknit community that helps each other out when in need. It’s known as the friendliest community in Nunavut, and I believe Arviat lives up to that reputation. 

I have always believed education is an important factor in entering the workforce and I feel Inuit need to get educated to fill the roles in all levels of the workforce in Nunavut. I chose to study Management Studies in Rankin Inlet. I enjoy working with numbers and feel I would be successful in this field. When I earn my Management Studies diploma, I hope to be employed in a management position that shows my fellow Inuit that young Inuit women can achieve their goals, despite the difficulties that come with reaching them. 

I am so grateful to Northwestel for investing in my future! Living on a student budget is tough, and the Northern Futures Scholarship will help me reach my personal, professional, and educational aspirations. Thank you, Northwestel for believing in me.

Shawn Taggart  

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories 

My name is Shawn Taggart, and I was born and raised in Yellowknife, NT. I am a third generation Yellowknife resident, with all my direct family and most of my extended family still residing in the community. Aside from academic pursuits, I have lived in the north my entire life, and have watched Yellowknife in particular grow, evolve, and pivot through various primary industries. I am currently preparing to enter the second year of the Business Administration program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology with a major in Marketing.  

Pursuing a career that can be done anytime, anywhere, is an incredible fit for a telecommunications company like Northwestel, where the customer base is diverse and spread out across several provinces and territories. 

Finishing school can be financially taxing, and there are no guarantees anymore in the entry-level job market. I am beyond grateful that there are companies like Northwestel that are taking proactive steps to address both these realities with both their scholarship and hiring policies.

Allana Zettler 

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories 

Growing up, my family moved all over Canada, sometimes spending less than two years in one place before moving again. These experiences have affected the way I view the world, in both good and bad ways. It also affected the way I view my identity as an Inuk. I have lived in Yellowknife for four years now, and I would call it my community. I aspire to be a chemical engineer because I want to make a difference in the North where I can impact the quality of life of others, particularly Indigenous people. As I grow older, I have become more in tune with my identity and seek to improve the issues faced by Indigenous people throughout Canada. 

This scholarship will help me on my journey to support the North and Indigenous communities once I graduate. It takes some of the worries away so I can focus on doing well in school! I am so grateful be a recipient of the Northwestel Northern Futures scholarship!

Wajahat Hussain  

Whitehorse, Yukon 

My name is Wajahat Hussain, I am originally from Pakistan in a city called Multan. When I was 2 years old my family decided to make the journey to Canada. My family struggled in places such as Montreal, Halifax, and Calgary. We finally ended up in Whitehorse, Yukon where we settled down. I ended up in Calgary to do my Engineering degree because of the cutting-edge research being done in telecommunications and robotics. Electrical Engineering is a career path in which I can achieve my goals of integrating robotics and energy systems with deep learning.  

My goal to create innovative technologies in robotics for Yukon is the driving force in my choice to pursue a career in Electrical Engineering. I hope to achieve this, especially in Northern territories where it could improve the lives of many. 

Winning this Scholarship will be a gateway to new opportunities.

Northern Futures Scholarship Program 

If you are a post-secondary student from Canada’s North apply to our scholarship program . Applications for next year will open in July 2022. Our goal is to award at least half of the six scholarships to Indigenous students. 

Learn more here