Our Journey of Reconciliation represents our commitment to learn about Indigenous culture and history with open hearts and minds, to stretch our perspectives, and build genuine relationships with Indigenous Peoples based on mutual trust and respect.
For Petro-Canada, sharing this commitment to listen, learn and grow means providing space for Indigenous Peoples within our network to share their experiences and history. We are committed to supporting Indigenous youth through the Petro-Canada Award for Indigenous students, a program offered through Indspire, an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and communities, and Canada. The Petro-Canada Award assists students in Indigenous communities with the cost of attending high school and post-secondary institutions. High school students can apply for one of eight annual awards in the amount of $750; post-secondary students can apply for one of eight annual awards in the amount of $5,000.
2024 will be our 10-year anniversary of supporting students through Indspire. We are aligned with Indspire’s strategic priorities for helping Indigenous students achieve their highest potential and ensuring that they feel culturally safe and supported on their educational journey and transition into the workforce. Stories from award recipients like Robin and Serra inspire us.
Robin Mercer, Recipient of the Petro-Canada Award for Indigenous Students“I’m an Aboriginal Student attending UBC - Okanagan campus in Kelowna, BC. I’m a 4th year student majoring in Statistics in the Faculty of Science. Once completing the undergraduate work, I intend to pursue a Master’s degree in stats and move onto a PhD with an end result of doing research and teaching at an academic institution.
I’m a father of two beautiful boys with a third child on the way (boy or girl we don’t know yet). This endeavour has taken a lot of sacrifice in terms of time and money but with this award the financial burden will be less for my family.”
Searra Warnock, Recipient of the Petro-Canada Award for Indigenous Students
“I am currently a full-time student at the University of Manitoba. I am in my second year in the Faculty of Science. This award will help me pay off my student loans.
When I graduate, I will not have to worry about student loans and only finding success in my field. The field I want to be in after graduating is the infectious diseases in a research lab. My goal is to get my bachelor’s in science then to possibly continue my education (masters/doctoral). I cannot thank you enough for the generosity of this award and greatly appreciate the support for my studies.”
For more information on the Petro-Canada Award for Indigenous Students, please visit the Indspire webpage.
