The Public Policy and Governance (PGOV) Program and the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at St. Francis Xavier University are pleased to announce the inaugural winners of the Bombardier Intern Scholarship, made available to students through the generous financial support of the J Armand Bombardier Foundation.
Each year, four to five students are selected to receive awards valued between $7,000 and $10,000 through a competitive process. The awards provide students involved in the PGOV program with an opportunity to gain valuable experience working as a summer intern in an organization with a public policy, governance or public service focus.
The 2021 recipients of the award are Sydney Chambers, Matthew Russell, Matthew Stepien, Naomi Stobart and Chloe Walker.
The students say the scholarship is making a huge difference.
“The significance of the Bombardier Internship award cannot be overstated, especially in such a trying year where simply finding an internship, let alone a paid internship is a difficult task for many,” says Matthew Stepien of Stoney Creek, ON, a fourth year honours PGOV student also taking a subsidiary in political science, who will investigate Arctic defence policy through his internship with the North American Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN).
“I hope to take many lessons of the policy creation process through my time at the NAADSN, which was possible because the award.”
Chloe Walker of Ottawa, ON, a fourth year honours PGOV student taking a subsidiary in English, will complete her placement with the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in Halifax, NS, specifically in their Wije’winen/Come With Us Initiative. “This award is not only of great importance to me as a student entering my final year of undergraduate studies, but is also of great significance in that it is facilitating a really exciting relationship between myself as a representative of StFX and the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre to be established,” she says.
“In having one of the inaugural Bombardier Scholarships contribute towards a partnership that connects Indigenous knowledge, organizations, structures, systems and peoples into my foundational understanding of public policy and governance gained throughout core PGOV and interdisciplinary courses, I believe that a strong message of reconciliation and community partnership is suggested. I am proud to be a recipient of an award that values and supports work of this nature, and truly hope that the work I do this summer can be impactful in the realm of reconciliation in Canada today.”
Matt Russell of Stellarton, NS, a fourth year public policy and governance student taking a double major in PGOV and political science, will complete his placement at the Climate Change and Sustainability Office, Town of New Glasgow, NS. He says the Bombardier Scholarship has provided him the opportunity to be involved in research and policy making in the areas of climate change and sustainability at the municipal level and allows him to engage with various town managers to identify areas for potential improvements.
“I am deeply thankful for this award. It has allowed me to pursue my passion for student government,” says Naomi Stobart of Saskatoon, SK, a fourth year honours PGOV student taking a subsidiary in political science, who will complete her placement with the StFX Students’ Union.
“Receiving this scholarship from Bombardier allows for me to fully invest myself into understanding non-profit organizations, their policy, bylaws and structure. This award allows me to support both council and executives in their role of advocating and providing for their constituents, the student body. Overall, this experience will be invaluable to a deeper knowledge and understanding of public policy and governance in action and I am grateful for Bombardier’s role in supporting me while I achieve this.”
Fourth year honours anthropology student Sydney Chambers of Toronto, ON, who is taking a subsidiary in aquatic resources, will work at the Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, specifically in the Fisheries and Integrated Resources Department. “This award allows me to be a part of establishing a relationship between StFX and APC that will open the door for future research and important work towards reconciliation. Being one of the inaugural recipients of this award, I am honoured to be able to bring more focus towards Indigenous peoples, treaty rights, livelihood fisheries, and use my research to contribute to reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and settlers in Canada.”
