Jordan Sobey, submitted
Opportunities for invaluable work experience and financial assistance will continue to be available to students in The University of Winnipeg’s Faculty of Business and Economics thanks to the enduring support of Great-West Life.
The University of Winnipeg Foundation and The Faculty of Business and Economics are pleased to announce that Great-West Life will continue to support the Great-West Life Business Student Scholarship and Work Placement Program over the next three years.
Created in 2008, this prestigious scholarship has already received over $170,000 in funding from Great-West Life and has been awarded 40 times to the best and brightest of UWinnipeg’s Faculty of Business and Economics students.
UWinnipeg alumnus, Jordan Sobey, received the scholarship from 2014 – 2016 and is now employed with Great-West Life as a Group Insurance Underwriter in the company’s Mid-Market Underwriting department.
“The Great-West Life scholarship program allowed me to apply the skills I learned from the Bachelor of Business Administration program in the real business world,” Sobey says. “Learning the business and office dynamics were invaluable before starting in the workforce permanently.”
Samantha Miller, submitted
Samantha Miller (BBA 13) is another recipient of the Great-West Life scholarship. She and Sobey both agree that the scholarship program enriched their university experiences by giving them financial flexibility and exposing them to career opportunities they wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise.
“The scholarship allowed me to pursue my post-secondary education in business while taking comfort in the knowledge that I would have a job opportunity after I graduated,” says Miller, who currently works as a Senior Litigation Specialist in Great-West Life’s Group Life and Disability department.
Successful candidates of the Great-West Life Business Student Scholarship and Work Placement Program not only have the potential to receive full tuition and cost of books, but they also receive paid, full-time summer employment at Great-West Life.
“I really enjoyed the summer employment opportunity as it showed me what types of jobs were available within the company and how it was possible for growth and movement,” Miller says.
This scholarship and summer employment opportunity is renewable one time for chosen students, and many past recipients have gone on to begin their careers at Great-West Life after graduation.
Dr. Sylvie Albert, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics says, “We are pleased to continue this ongoing partnership with the terrific organization that is Great-West Life. Their offices’ proximity to our campus and commitment to giving students relief and opportunities in school and employment is commendable and it is an honor to know they continue to see UWinnipeg’s Faculty of Business and Economics as a department that is growing valuable employment prospects.”
“We’re close with UWinnipeg in distance and but also in community outlook,” adds Cathy Weaver, Senior Vice-President, Human Resources, Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life. “Our organizations have collaborated on many successful projects, from physical infrastructure that has enriched student life and our mutual inner-city neighbourhood, to these scholarships. We’re pleased to continue our support for this program knowing that the work-term continuity and mentorship built into the scholarship help the recipients prepare for challenging and rewarding careers, and for life itself.”
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MEDIA CONTACT
Eva Wasney, E-communications Coordinator, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7129, E: e.wasney@uwinnipeg.ca
