UWinnipeg student and Louis Riel Bursary recipient, Melony Roberts
WINNIPEG, MB – Sylvia Dueck, Melony Roberts and Philip Lafrance are three very different University of Winnipeg students pursuing unique career goals, yet they have one thing in common: each has been awarded a 2012 Louis Riel Bursary to help them achieve their dreams.
Since 1999, the Manitoba Metis Federation and its education arm, the Louis Riel Institute, have provided more than $1.5 million in bursaries to Metis students attending UWinnipeg, which has almost doubled thanks to gifts from the Manitoba Scholarships and Bursaries Initiative matching program. This month, up to 75 students are receiving letters awarding them the unique bursary.
“The Louis Riel Bursaries support the next generation of Metis leaders who are studying everything from film to physics, education, and economics,” said Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, President and Vice-Chancellor, UWinnipeg. “Approximately 12% of our total student population is now First Nations, Metis, and Inuit, making UWinnipeg one of the top universities in Canada for Indigenous participation. Providing support to remove financial barriers is critically important, and is a direct result of the commitment to education shown by leaders such as MMF President, Dr. David Chartrand.”
All Metis students are eligible for the Louis Riel Bursaries, however students with the most financial need are considered first.
Melony Roberts is a 34 year old single mother in Environmental Studies who received a $1,300 Louis Riel Bursary. “It has been very challenging for me to come back to school after so many years away working and raising children,” said Roberts. “I would not be able to go to school without this financial support. I am very determined to do something to improve our lives and think there are a million opportunities in the environmental field. My son, who is 7, wants to be a scientist now so he can be like mom. He thinks it is so cool.”
For 20 year old, third year student Phil Lafrance, the bursary support of $1,500 allows him to focus on his Honours degree in Math. “It feels like I have the chance to focus more on my studies with one less worry,” said Lafrance who also tutors other students. “My goal is to do well so I can pursue a graduate degree.”
Sylvia Dueck
Sylvia Dueck has a deep love for art history and in particular, Aboriginal art history. The 37 year old second year student says her $1,500 bursary came as an unexpected surprise. “I have received so much help and support through the Aboriginal Student Services Centre and now this,” said Dueck, who spent years in the workforce before deciding to go back to school in her thirties to get her Grade 12 diploma. “I started from nothing and found out I really loved school and was getting good grades, and for the first time I realized, I can go on to university. It is something I always wanted but I didn’t think it was a possibility.” Dueck works part time in UWinnipeg’s art gallery on campus, Gallery 1C03, and hopes to work with children and art in the future.
In addition to the Louis riel Bursaries, in 2008, a $100,000 gift from the Manitoba Metis Federation allowed UWinnipeg to create the Audreen Hourie Graduate Fellowship, which is open to all Metis graduate students in UWinnipeg’s Indigenous Governance and Masters in Development Practice programs.
“It is important to create as many opportunities as possible to assist Metis students to achieve their goals,” said MMF President David Chartrand. “Knowledge is power and education is one of the primary tools that we can use to take control of our future. Our Metis government is pleased to invest in this ongoing and very important strategy that will benefit not only our Metis constituents, but all Manitobans.”
Find out more about Indigenous scholarship at UWinnipeg at:http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/indigenous-programs-services
MEDIA CONTACT
Diane Poulin, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7135, E: d.poulin@uwinnipeg.ca
