For many Canadian veterans, the transition from military to civilian life comes with new challenges and new possibilities. Thanks to a growing number of scholarships, awards and education benefit programs, both veterans and active service members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are finding the support to pursue their post-secondary studies, launch second careers and build on the skills they gained while in service. Military life also brings unique challenges for families, and scholarships that ease financial barriers can benefit children and grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, too.
The $1,000 Alberta – NWT Command, Royal Canadian Legion Award is given to a student continuing full-time education in any Lethbridge Polytechnic program who demonstrates financial need and who is currently serving or who is a child, grandchild or great-grandchild of someone who is serving or has served honourably. And the 20th Independent Battery Scholarship of $1,000 is awarded to a member of the 20th Independent Field Battery who is a full-time and continuing student at the polytechnic. Of those who apply, the award will go to the member with the highest grade point average.
In addition to these options, veterans who have been honourably released from service are eligible for an Education and Training Benefit through Veterans Affairs. This benefit provides funding based on the number of years served, which could be up to $80,000 for 12 years of service. CAF members can also apply for reimbursement of up to 50 per cent of their post-secondary expenses to a maximum of $2,000 per academic year through the Educational Expense Reimbursement program.
Read on to learn how the following Lethbridge Polytechnic alumni benefited from military-related funding that helped make their post-secondary education, and future careers, possible.
Brittney Albers
Criminal Justice – Correctional Studies 2023
Brittney Albers joined the military when she was just 16 years old, getting a head start on a lifelong calling to public safety. As the first person in her family to serve, she had to convince them this was what she truly wanted, but for Albers, it was the first step toward her future career. As an active member of the 78th Field Battery Artillery Unit in Red Deer from 2012 to 2015, Albers balanced high school with Basic Military Qualification training.
“I saw this as a way to get my foot in the door for future careers,” she says, adding that her age and being a woman presented its own set of challenges. “I had to learn who I wanted to be and had to create my own morals and ethics.”
“THEY GAVE ME A WAY FORWARD SO THAT I COULD INVEST IN MY FAMILY AS WELL AS MY FUTURE...I AM INCREDIBLY PROUD OF WHERE I AM NOW, AND IT IS ALL THANKS TO THE SUPPORT I HAD ALONG THE WAY.”
Albers has held different roles – armed forces, emergency medical responder and customer development manager with PepsiCo. – but her heart has always been drawn to making a difference in her community.
She was a mother to two boys when she applied to the polytechnic’s Criminal Justice – Correctional Studies program, making financial support essential. Determined to not sacrifice her family’s finances to further her education, she began researching and applying for as many scholarships as she could. In addition to the Alberta - NWT Command, Royal Canadian Legion Award, Albers was also the recipient of the Dr. Gary McPherson Leadership scholarship, Rita Simons Memorial Mature Award and the Jason Lang Scholarship.
“Without these scholarships, attending the [polytechnic] would still be just a dream,” she says. “They gave me a way forward so that I could invest in my family as well as my future.”
Determined that with her life experience she could conquer anything that her dream career could throw at her, she relied on her military training to help juggle a home life, two busy sons, a full-time job and school.
“Every late night writing papers, every nerve-wracking test and every grade received back I took as a personal challenge to push myself,” she says.
After graduating with honours, Albers was hired at a remand correctional facility and now works as a correctional peace officer at the Red Deer Remand Centre where she is a member of the tactical team and, as a field training officer, helps teach new up-and-coming officers.
“Armed with the practical skills I learned while in the military, and the incredible education and mentorship I received while enrolled at Lethbridge Polytechnic, I feel I am in a unique position to guide newer staff into the corrections world,” she says. “I am incredibly proud of where I am now, and it is all thanks to the support I had along the way.”
Glenn Miller
Ikkaiyoitsahsokittupii/Fast Horse Rider
Communication Arts – Advertising and Public Relations 2009
Glenn Miller doesn’t just wear his service – he lives it. After a 25-year career with the Royal Canadian Artillery, half of it spent in Lethbridge, Miller could have easily enjoyed a quiet retirement. Instead, he launched a second chapter in his life, graduating from Lethbridge Polytechnic just two years after retiring from the military.
“We live in an age of credentials, and I needed a piece of paper saying I was good at something,” he says. His military background in public relations helped him fast-track through the Communication Arts program, which Miller says helped him transition to the civilian world of communications.
Because he was medically released from the military, Miller wasn’t eligible for the traditional veterans Education and Training Benefit. However, the bursary program from the Royal Canadian Legion General Stewart Branch No.4 granted him enough money to pay for a semester of tuition and books. This experience has stuck with him, and Miller actively encourages veterans and their families to apply for scholarships and bursaries, especially those tied to military service.
“I don’t know of too many families out there that just have cash lying around to pay for tuition,” he says. “For students, I would encourage you – whether you’re young or a mature student – to examine what bursaries are available. It’s important for anyone to not leave money on the table.”
His time in the military also gave Miller the self-discipline needed to navigate the challenges of post-secondary and civilian life.
“As a professional soldier, for a lot of our courses, 80 per cent was the minimum to pass the course,” he explains. “So, you don’t go in with a 60 per cent attitude. You strive to not make mistakes because it could impact people’s lives.”
Post-polytechnic life has been anything but quiet for Miller who previously worked for two Members of the Legislative Assembly and former Canadian senator Joyce Fairbairn. He has been a service officer for the Legion, worked extensively with Indigenous communities and helped lead major Remembrance Day initiatives. One of his proudest projects, he says, was working with the Lethbridge United Services Institute to organize the creation of a bronze statue depicting six horses pulling a World War I artillery gun, which is now displayed at the Agri-Food Hub in Lethbridge.
In recognition of his work, Miller has received multiple honours, including a Knight Order of the Crown – one of the highest honours from the Kingdom of Belgium – and the Blackfoot name Ikkaiyoitsahsokittupii, which means “fast horse rider.” Last year, he was inducted into the honorary Kainai Chieftainship – a recognition currently held by only 30 people worldwide.
At the end of the day, Miller says what drives him most is three simple words: lest we forget.
“A lot of people have forgotten, but I’m able to bring that to light using the skills I learned in the military and at the polytechnic to give back to the taxpayers who funded me to achieve those skills.”
Gary Wittebolle
Culinary Arts 2025
After more than four decades with the Canadian Armed Forces, Gary Wittebolle traded his military boots for chef whites. Enlisting with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in 1980, Wittebolle’s career took him from Manitoba to Germany, and eventually Lethbridge where he transitioned into the Reserves and stayed until his retirement in 2023. Along the way he completed tours in Cyprus and through Africa.
Once retired, Wittebolle decided it was time to pursue his longtime interest: cooking. He used the Education and Training Benefit to take the polytechnic’s Culinary Arts program where he learned to make food that competed with mess hall chefs, many of whom are Red Seal cooks.
“I WON’T LIE; BAKING WAS NOT MY FORTE. BUT THE INSTRUCTORS WERE GREAT. THEY PUSH YOU TO THAT HIGH STANDARD AND, WITH PRACTISE, I IMPROVED.”
“I found it was a challenge at the start with getting back into the theory and academic part, studying and just getting into a routine,” he says, adding that even enrolling as a mature student was a challenge. He turned to his high school-aged son and engineer neighbour for help studying math for his placement exam (neither were a big help, he notes), but in the end he passed and was accepted into the program.
First-year Culinary students work in the campus Food Court, serving meals to several hundred students and employees each day. This gave Wittebolle a taste of the kitchen processes behind the scenes and taught him to be flexible in dealing with a variety of people.
“I have a lot of respect for the instructors because of all the different people they were dealing with,” he says. “I won’t lie; baking was not my forte. But the instructors were great. They push you to that high standard and, with practise, I improved.”
Although Wittebolle never had plans to pursue a career in culinary after graduation, he’s grateful he had the benefits available to learn something just for himself. Wittebolle says he’s working on retirement and currently serves as president of the German Canadian Club in Lethbridge. His only cooking now is for friends and family, where he leans on his skills learned in class to experiment with new dishes and take on the occasional catering gig.
Patricia Pelkey
Criminal Justice – Correctional Studies 2024, Criminal Justice – Policing 2023
Before post-secondary, Patricia Pelkey’s life was shaped by her personal and professional challenges. Growing up in a home affected by domestic violence, addiction and child abuse gave her an insight into trauma and resilience. It’s this resilience that she leaned on for 13 years while working at a shelter for women escaping domestic violence and serving as a board member for Lac La Biche Victim Services.
“These roles gave me hands-on knowledge, but I wanted a formal education to go further and make a greater impact,” says Pelkey. “Being a single mom to three children also fueled my decision. I hoped my commitment to school would show my kids the value of perseverance and education.”
Pelkey adds that seeing her grandfather’s own commitment to his duties in the army, and as a member of the Armstrong Royal Canadian Legion, helped her understand the meaning of service and integrity that, along with her personal journey, played a role in choosing a career where she could help people and give back to the community.
Bernard Thomas Pelkey, or “Tom” as everyone called him, dedicated much of his life to serving others. He joined the army in 1959 and served with the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and retired as a warrant officer in 1979. Pelkey says her grandfather never spoke much about his years in uniform and by the time she was old enough to appreciate the stories, the opportunity for him to share
had passed. Nonetheless, his family knew he was proud of his service. And, because of his service, granddaughter Pelkey was able to benefit from the Alberta – NWT Command, Royal Canadian Legion Award.
“Attending [the polytechnic] changed my life,” says Pelkey. “The scholarship reduced the financial stress of being a single parent going to school. It allowed me to focus more on my coursework without worrying about making ends meet.”
Pelkey now works as a supervisor in Children and Family Services for the Government of Alberta, overseeing legal permanency. She says that returning to school gave her the credentials and knowledge to take on this leadership role and she plans to continue supporting youth and their families while advocating for better systemic support.
