2013 MFL Al Cerilli Scholarship Awarded

The 2013 winner of the MFL Al Cerilli Scholarship was presented with a $500 cheque at the September 18th meeting of the MFL Executive Council.

MFL President Kevin Rebeck made the presentation to Adam Smoluk, proud member of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA). Smoluk is currently studying Labour Relations at Red River College.

Brother Smoluk has served on the ACTRA MB council, ACTRA MB Political Action Committee, and was Chair of the ACTRA MB Independent Film Committee. He was appointed to serve as ACTRA's representative on the MFL's Human Rights Committee and is a current member of the United Way of Winnipeg's GenNext Council.  He was recently appointed to the board of directors for Youth Employment Services (YES MB).

Smoluk is the youngest person ever selected to the prestigious National Screen Institute of Canada’s Features First Program and he studied on scholarship at the British American Drama Academy at Oxford University. He was awarded the Future Leaders of Manitoba award, an Investors Group scholarship for leadership studies at The Banff Centre. He is also an alumnus of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Winnipeg program.

Smoluk profiled The Right Honourable Edward Schreyer, and Manitoba Film & Music’s CEO Carole Vivier for THE HEART OF WINNIPEG (a book published by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce which profiles Manitoba based leaders).

The MFL Al Cerilli Scholarship is awarded annually to a young member of an MFL affiliated union who is enrolled in a recognized post-secondary education program. The MFL Young Members Committee selects the winner on the basis of their record of activism and commitment to the labour movement.

Established in 2010, the scholarship is named for Brother Cerilli in recognition of his many years of commitment and service to the labour movement. Past winners have been Jonny Sopotiuk (CUPE Local 3909), Daria Hrytsay (COPE Local 342), and Gabriel Bako (UFCW Local 832).

Information about applications for next year's scholarship will be posted to the MFL website by March 2014.