A Spitz Fellow defined
A Spitz Fellow is engaged in their community. Fellows are both deeply committed to their pursuits and to the people around them. They express care, creativity, and a strong sense of self in their actions. Above all, Fellows are working towards achieving their own vision of leadership.
What it means to become a Spitz Fellow
The Spitz Family Award and Fellows Program provides a number of opportunities to recipients. Spitz Fellows are eligible for the following:
-
funding to cover student expenses such as housing, food, childcare, tutoring, and approved discretionary travel, and funding for experiential opportunities such as Go Global exchange* (eligibility for this needs-based funding is based on proof of financial need)
-
funding to attend UBC orientation programs such as Jump Start (for incoming first-year students only)
- guaranteed acceptance to the Ch'nook Scholars program in two of the four years of their degree
About the Spitz family
The Spitz family—Warren, Maureen, Gregory, Kelsey and Mathew—created the Spitz Family Award and Fellows Program in collaboration with the UBC Sauder School of Business, the Ch’nook Indigenous Business Education Initiative at UBC Sauder, and input from both Indigenous and academic communities.
Their hope for each Fellow is that post-secondary education will be an opportunity for students to express and nurture their whole self—to both discover and pursue the leader the Fellow envisions of themselves. They encourage each Fellow to reflect on what that means and to hold onto that throughout their time at UBC and on their journey after graduation.
Eligibility
To be considered for this program and award, candidates must:
-
be Canadian
-
self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) on the online application to UBC (for current students, you must self-identify as Indigenous on Workday)
-
self-identify as a woman on the online application to UBC
-
demonstrate financial need in order to be eligible for needs-based funding
-
be admissible to, and entering, the UBC Sauder Bachelor of Commerce program as your first choice in the 2025 Winter Session (September 2025). Direct entry to Year 1 and Year 2 or Year 3 transfer students are eligible, or;
-
be currently enrolled in the UBC Sauder Bachelor of Commerce program
-
demonstrate in the application a commitment to your community and to becoming the leader that you envision, both at UBC Sauder and in the wider community
We encourage applicants from remote communities to indicate this on their application.
*Program eligibility requirements for Go Global Exchange must be met. Please see the UBC Go Global website for details.