Sleeman Breweries Awards Inaugural Scholarships

Traditionally, STEM and brewing programs have significantly higher proportions of men as students, than any other gender. The scholarships from Sleeman Breweries help break down barriers caused by systemic gender biases to help women, transgender, two-spirit, and non-binary students reach their full potential in these fields of study.

“We believe that education empowers people to higher levels of success and visibility,” says Hiro Kitaoka, President and CEO. “Supporting underrepresented groups in their academic pursuits matters to our employees and to us as an organization.”

Sleeman Breweries awards two scholarships of $2,500 each. One goes to a student attending an English-speaking post-secondary program. The other goes to a student attending a French-speaking program.

Both recipients of the 2023 scholarship are starting their post-secondary studies this fall. One will study Computing Science at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia with the goal of becoming a software engineer. The other will study Biopharmaceutical Science at the University of Ottawa in Ontario to support her future career in health care.

A panel of reviewers from Sleeman Breweries’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee had the pleasure - and the challenge - of assessing each application.

“We were amazed by the caliber of the applications we received,” says Adrienne Fox, National Director, HR Shared Services, who helped review applications. “These students are so impressive and made all of us feel a sense of excitement and pride for what they’ll do.”

Applications for next year’s scholarships open in March 2024.