Post-secondary education can be costly and challenging to afford for many, but SaskTel cares and we are here to help make things easier for some hardworking students through their academic careers and into the future.

Each year, SaskTel awards a number of scholarships to students attending post-secondary institutions in Saskatchewan who are studying in a field directly related to information and communications technology.

In 2021 the following awards were distributed: seven $3,000 SaskTel Scholarships, one $3,000 SaskTel Gord Kuhn Scholarship, three $1,500 SaskTel Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies Scholarships, and nine SaskTel Metis Scholarships.

The 2021 SaskTel Gord Kuhn Scholarship - established in honour of long-time SaskTel employee Gord Kuhn – was awarded to Madelyne Gusaas.

Excited to pursue a career in programming, Madelyne said she is thankful to have some monetary help as she begins her degree in Computer Science at the University of Saskatchewan in September 2021.

“Paying for university is already hard, and I know coming out of high school I wanted to work and save up enough money,” said Madelyne. “But, working a normal 9 to 5 job you can’t really save up enough to pay for everything on your own, you kind of have to get a loan and then get a job [after university] to pay them off.”

As part of the SaskTel Cares initiative - a new campaign that gives the company a cohesive approach when it comes to communicating our commitment to our Corporate Social Responsibility - the Gord Kuhn scholarship is one way to show the organization cares about its employees about what matters most to them. It is awarded to a current SaskTel employee or immediate family member, enrolled in full-time post-secondary studies in Saskatchewan.

Madelyne’s mother Stacey Klassen is a SaskTel Customer Service Technician (CST) in Saskatoon. She says the whole family is elated with Madelyne’s achievement.

“It really makes the difference between a loan or no loan,” said Stacey. “It’s really lifechanging, and we are just so appreciative.”

SaskTel is pleased to award this scholarship to Madelyne as she works to achieve her academic goals.

“There are many promising students, like Madelyne, who may not have the financial means to complete post-secondary education. SaskTel’s scholarship programs not only help these students, they serve to motivate future generations,” said Lindsay Mazenc, Corporate Communications Manager. “This continued investment strengthens SaskTel’s relationship with our province’s youth, while helping meet the needs of our future workforce.”

Although SaskTel does not guarantee employment for award recipients, the organization will give the recipients preferential consideration for employment following the completion of their courses, and/or for summer or co-op work terms.
Logan Cronin is a Programmer Analyst with SaskTel and received the SaskTel Metis Scholarship in 2018.

“The scholarship helped me in many ways, mostly by allowing me to be more selective in how I spend my free time which allowed me to focus more on my classes and participate in study groups rather than worrying about finding a job to pay for the semester,” Logan said.

In 2017 Logan started as a summer student in the Customer Support Centre working as a Service Technician. He was then was re-hired for the following two summers as a Technical Assistant before starting his full-time position as Programmer Analyst.

“I think working as a summer student helped me become a permanent employee because I was able to improve on my skills as a developer, while obtaining valuable work experience,” he said. “I also feel that experiencing SaskTel’s core values and what it means to be a part of its community first-hand showed that I can be a positive and productive employee.”

Those interested in a SaskTel Scholarship are encouraged to complete an application on www.sasktel.com.

The application deadline is March 31 of each calendar year. Scholarship applications are not kept after the award year, and candidates must reapply for scholarships for each year of study.