Students entering IT and business programs at Red River College Polytechnic have the opportunity for their education to be covered thanks to the generosity of community leader Gary Coleman.

The Gary Coleman Award for Inner-City Scholars helps students build successful careers on their own and removes barriers to post-secondary education, from enrollment to graduation.

The award is available to graduates of eight inner-city schools in Winnipeg who have been accepted into RRC Polytech’s Applied Accounting, Business Administration, Commerce Industry Sales and Marketing, Business Information Technology, Data Science and Machine Learning, IT Operations, and Information Security programs. Recipients are free from the worry of financial barriers as the award covers the cost of tuition, program fees, books, and supplies.

With the help of this award, young students can hone their skills in three of RRC Polytech’s IT and business-based programs, receiving the high-quality learning they need to become leaders in their careers.

How to Apply

See RRC Polytech’s Awards, Bursaries and Scholarships and scroll down to the “Gary Coleman Award for Inner-City Scholars” heading for more information.

Eligible students are encouraged to complete the application form and send it to financialaid@rrc.ca. The application deadline for the upcoming fall term is Friday, July 7, 2023.

NOTE: The application for the winter 2024 term is November 30, 2023.

Eligibility Requirements

The Gary Coleman Award for Inner-City Scholars will support two students who:

• Graduated in the previous 24 months from one of the following high schools:
  • Argyle Alternative High School
  • Children of the Earth High School
  • Daniel McIntyre Collegiate
  • Gordon Bell High School
  • B. Russell Vocational High School
  • Sisler High School
  • St. John’s High School
  • Technical Vocational High School
• Have already been accepted into one of the following RRC Polytech programs:
  • Applied Accounting (Certificate)
  • Business Administration (Diploma)
  • Commerce Industry Sales and Marketing (Certificate)
  • Business Information Technology (Diploma)
  • Data Science and Machine Learning (Diploma)
  • IT Operations (Diploma)
  • Information Security (Post Graduate Diploma)

Gary Coleman is the president and chief executive officer of Winnipeg-based Garibaldi Investments Ltd., his family office. Gary divested his main operating business, Big Freight Systems Inc. in 2017, after leading the organization for over 30 years. His family office is involved in industrial and commercial real estate as well as investments in crypto and web3 businesses. Gary graduated from Red River College Polytechnic in 1981 with a diploma in Business.

“I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a family that instilled a strong work ethic, that together with a vision for growth and the ability to attract exceptional talent, allowed our company to grow into an international operation. Attending Red River College Polytechnic played an important role in my journey as my Business studies provided me with many of the required foundational business skills.”

“With this scholarship, I hope to help students who have the ambition, desire and drive to change their station in life, but are lacking the one key component to achieve their dreams- the financial resources for a college education.”