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BCGEU President presents scholarship winner Victoria Vargas with cheque

Stephanie Smith, President of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) presents a $1500 cheque to Victoria Vargas for her essay on how quality public services enhance the quality of life for visible minorities.

photo of BCGEU President Stephanie Smith with Victoria Vargas and her mother Vancouver (24 Oct. 2014) — A cheque was presented to Victoria Vargas, the winner of the 2014 scholarship for visible minorities.

Each year NUPGE offers four scholarships to students entering post-secondary education

Each year, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) offers four scholarships that reflect its pursuit of equal opportunity for all workers. They are open to the children, grandchildren, or foster children of a current or retired National Union members. The applicants must be planning to start a post-secondary education and planning to enter the first year of a Canadian public, post-secondary, educational institution as a full-time student.

Students are required to submit a 750 — 1000 word essay on the topic specific to the scholarship. In this instance, Vargas' essay about the importance of quality public services in enhancing the quality of life of visible minorities was selected. 

There are four scholarships offered: 

  • Tommy Douglas Scholarship — How Tommy Douglas contributed to making Canada a more just and equitable society.
  • Terry Fox Scholarship — The importance of quality public services in enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities.
  • Scholarship for Aboriginal Canadians — The importance of quality public services in enhancing the quality of life of Aboriginal Canadians.
  • Scholarship for Visible Minorities — The importance of quality public services in enhancing the quality of life of Visible Minorities.

BCGEU President Stephanie Smith presents cheque to Victoria Vargas

Stephanie Smith, President of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) (right in photo) presented a $1,500 cheque to Victoria Vargas for her essay. Vargas was acompanied by her mother, Karina Rengifo, a BCGEU/NUPGE member. 

"On behalf of the National Union, I want to congratulate the winners of the 2014 scholarships, but most importantly, I want to thank everyone who submitted essays," said James Clancy, NUPGE National President. "We are impressed, year after year, at the quality of the writing and the passion applicants have for making our world a better place. Thank you for honouring some of the issues we all care so much about with your time and with your words."

More information: 

National Union Scholarship information for 2014

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE