The Dean Connor Sun Life Inclusion Scholarship & Internship for Black and Indigenous Students

Objective

Sun Life’s roots run deep in Canada, where our company began more than 150 years ago. Our business started with the sale of insurance and has expanded to offer wealth solutions and customized health programs to our clients. Today we are an industry leader touching the lives of millions of individuals and thousands of companies across the country – and many more millions of clients around the world.

Our Inclusion Scholarship & Internship program intends to support Black and Indigenous youth in Canada, providing both financial assistance and practical work experience as they start their careers. This Scholarship and Internship aims to help students get financial support, an exciting internship in a global financial institution, mentorship and professional coaching from our management team, and the possibility of a full-time employment opportunity with Sun Life following graduation.

We’re committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully, where everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources, and can fully contribute their thoughts, beliefs, perspectives, and talent. The Scholarship and Internship was named after former President and CEO, Dean Connor, for his passion and advocacy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion throughout his career at Sun Life.

Number, Value and Duration of Scholarships and Internships

A total of up to twenty (20) possible combined Scholarships and Internships will be made available for eligible participants to apply for, with each student limited to one (1) such Scholarship and Internship, although fewer than twenty (20) may be awarded depending upon the number of successful applicants.

The scholarships are $5,000 CAD per year, available for one (1) academic year per applicant, and include a four (4) month paid summer internship with Sun Life from May 2024 to August 2024. In addition, the successful recipient will also receive career and professional mentorship from Sun Life during the internship. This comes with support for the successful recipient to identify any future opportunities within Sun Life which may be of interest and to apply for and potentially transition to a full-time role with Sun Life following the internship.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants must:

• Be a member of the Black and/or Indigenous (First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples) communities.
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada.
• Be entering the second, third or fourth year of their program in an eligible institution (as defined below);
• Have a minimum cumulative average of 70% (2.70 GPA or B-average) over the last three terms of available marks in their program at an eligible institution.
• Be legally entitled to work and complete a full-time summer internship in either of our offices in Toronto, Waterloo, or Montreal. As a hybrid organization, employees may at times be permitted to work remotely outside of a Sun Life office and, depending upon the role, this may be available to a full-time summer internship position as well if deem appropriate by Sun Life.
• If selected, applicants must also pass all required background checks and other prerequisites which may be necessary to work a full-time summer internship with Sun Life. Failure to meet these requirements, in Sun Life’s sole and absolute discretion, may deem an applicant ineligible and/or result in the withdrawal of the Scholarship and Internship.
   

 Eligible institutions:

• Canadian educational post-secondary institutions which have recognized degree/diploma-granting powers, or their affiliates (e.g. universities, colleges).

Employees, directors, and officers of Sun Life and its subsidiaries, and any child of any of the foregoing, are not eligible for this Scholarship and Internship program. For greater certainty, “child” shall be defined herein as a person whose parent or legal guardian is an employee, Director or Officer of Sun Life or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries.

Administrator

Scholarship Partners Canada (“SPC”), a division of Universities Canada, administers the Scholarship and Internship program on behalf of Sun Life. Universities Canada’s mandate is to facilitate the development of public policy on higher education and to encourage cooperation among universities and governments, industry, communities, and institutions in other countries. Universities Canada is associated with leading firms in nearly every sector of the economy through its provision of scholarship services and management of more than 130 different scholarships programs on behalf of corporations, government agencies and private foundations throughout North America. For additional information, please visit www.univcan.ca.

Sun Life retains the right to change and/or end the sponsorship of the Scholarship and Internship program without notice at any time in its sole and absolute discretion.

Field of Study/Program Requirements

There are no restrictions on the program of study or discipline within an eligible institution. A competitive application is often one in which the applicant expresses an interest in employment with Sun Life upon graduation. Some of the possible areas of opportunities within Sun Life for successful applicants to apply to following their internship include Actuarial, Business, Finance, Legal, Information Technology, Human Resources, Marketing, Communications, Risk and Sales.University preparatory programs in any jurisdiction are not eligible (e.g. CEGEP, pre-university diploma).

Application Process

The application process is as follows:

1. The applicant submits an online application via https://portal.scholarshippartners.ca/welcome/Sunlife_EN/ and including:
   
   (a) A 500-word personal essay, or a 3-5 minute video essay in support of their candidacy about the following topic: Tell us about yourself and what winning this scholarship and the internship position would mean to you.
   
   (b) A current, one page resume, including non-curricular activities that could be relevant or important to the applicant for the purpose of this Scholarship and Internship.
   
   (c) Unofficial transcripts of academic records from the applicant’s current program.
   
   
2. The application, including all supporting documentation, must be submitted to SPC no later than 1:00 PM EST, November 17^th, 2023.
   
   
3. Documents will be reviewed by SPC staff to ensure all requirements have been met.
   
   
4. Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by email following processing by SPC.
   
   
5. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure all supporting documents have been received by visiting https://portal.scholarshippartners.ca to review their application status. If any supporting documentation is not submitted within the specified timeframe, the application may be subject to disqualification.
   
   
6. Account maintenance will be conducted online.
   
   
7. The application will then be reviewed and assessed and applicants will be notified if they were successful or not. The Application Evaluation Process is as follows:
   
   

(a)   SPC will review all completed applications and provide Sun Life with shortlisted eligible applicants.

(b)   Shortlisted applicants will be evaluated by Human Resources at Sun Life and those selected will be invited to interview with managers within their area of interest. Interviews may be in-person, by telephone, or video conference, at Sun Life’s discretion taking into consideration the location and accommodation needs of the applicant.

(c)   Following these interviews, up to the twenty (20) Scholarship and Internship recipients will be determined.
 

Applications may be submitted in English or French, but not both.

The student will need to add awards@univcan.ca to their safe senders in their junk email options so they can continue to receive important messages from SPC.

Supporting Documentation

The supporting documentation described below is required as part of the application. If any of these documents are not received or are incomplete, the application itself will be considered incomplete. SPC will send a final follow-up email to the applicant on November 13^th, 2023, requesting any missing or incomplete documentation. Any applicant submitting supporting documents after this date will not receive a follow-up email. Supporting documents must be received by SPC on or before 1:00 PM EST, November 17^th, 2023 for an application to be considered.

Personal Statement

The statement can be submitted in written or video format, and must answer the following: Tell us about yourself and what winning this scholarship and the internship position would mean to you. Written statements can be up to 500 words or video submissions can be up to 3 minutes in length.

Curriculum Vitae

Provide a copy of a current curriculum vitae.

Transcript

Provide a transcript(s) of all post secondary institutions marks.

• Note: Recognizing the impact of COVID-19, SPC will accept unofficial transcripts - bearing the student’s name and date - from student accounts where official transcripts are not available.

Documents must be uploaded by submitting an online application or sent directly to the address below by 1:00 PM EST, November 17^th, 2023.

PLEASE NOTE: If any of the requirements noted above are not met, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be considered. Deadline extensions will not be granted.

Selection Process

The selection of successful recipients is made by Sun Life.

Evaluation criteria include but may not be limited to:

• Academic performance.
• Quality and relevance of the personal statement.
• Quality and relevance of the CV.

All applicants will receive confirmation by email of the results of the selection process, once available.

Successful Applicants

Successful applicants will receive confirmation of their Scholarship and Internship in March 2024. Recipients will be required to complete the online acceptance process and forward any required documentation, such as proof of registration from the educational institution they will be attending. It is the responsibility of the recipient to keep SPC informed of any changes to their contact information through the online portal.

Potential recipients (or in the case of minors, a parent or legal guardian) may be required to sign an additional consent and release before being awarded a Scholarship and Internship. The signed consent and release will provide the recipient's consent to the use of their name, city and province or territory of residence and photograph, image or likeness without further compensation, in any publicity carried out by Sun Life in respect of this program.

Scholarship Payment

• Scholarship payment(s) will only be issued upon the award of the Scholarship and Internship and following a review and acceptance of all required supporting documentation by SPC.
  
  
• Scholarship payment(s) will be issued in August 2024, towards the end of the student’s internship with Sun Life.
  
  
• Scholarship entitlement may be forfeited if, during the course of the internship, the successful candidate is found to have committed misconduct in their role or breached any applicable Sun Life policy, including but not limited to the Code of Conduct. In such circumstance, Sun Life reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to revoke entitlement to the scholarship payment, provided it has not yet been issued.
  
  
• SPC will forward payment of the scholarship to the recipient by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) on behalf of Sun Life.
  
  
• Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments can only be made to a Canadian bank account. The bank account must be in the student’s name.
  
  
• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that payment of tuition fees is made within the defined time frame set by the educational institution regardless of the timing of the scholarship payment.

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