Portage College held the Metis Scholarship Award presentations in the McGrane Theatre on Monday, March 4. A total of 15 Portage students received the Metis Scholar Award.
Lac La Biche County's Mayor Omer Moghrabi, Member of Parliament David Yurdiga, Metis Nation of Alberta (MNA) vice-president Dan Cardinal and MNA local 2097- Lac La Biche president Brenda Bourque Stratichuk were also in attendance to present awards and celebrate with the students.
Each year, the Metis Nation of Alberta provides scholarships to reward outstanding academic achievement of Metis students pursuing post-secondary education. The awards have been given out for the last 10 years though the MNA's Metis Education Foundation In that time, 120 Metis students at Portage College locations across northern Alberta have received a total of $247,000.
Metis Nation's provincial vice-president Dan Cardinal expressed how the Metis awards and the Education Foundation established in the 1990's have been an integral part of the education component in the Metis students of Alberta pursuing higher education.
"When our nation established the Metis Education Foundation in 1991, it did so with the hope of improving educational outcomes for Alberta Metis and today's ceremony is proof of that foresight," said Cardinal, who said he himself was a Portage alumni. "The Metis education endowment agreements that were created in 2008 were done so to reduce the financial costs and burden that education can have on our people. We realize that this type of support is not only critical to increasing our students' success rate but, it also brings parity between Metis post-secondary participation to that of other Albertans."
MP Yurdiga said that although Parliament is a long way from his Lac La Biche - Fort McMurray federal riding, the voices of the people — and the dynamic culture — is well represented in Ottawa.
"Classrooms today represent a picture of our rich and diverse society. We are here today to recognize the accomplishments of many Metis students who are being acknowledged for their hard work. I am very privileged, I sit on the Heritage Committee in Ottawa and we undertake many studies. Currently, we are studying Bill C-91 which is an act to respect Indigenous languages and this is an opportunity for us all to recognize the Indigenous people and their accomplishments... I would like to thank Portage College for their amazing support to the Indigenous students, providing students with exceptional educational opportunities," said Yurdiga, who is also Portage alumni. "I was a student here in 1985-1986. From my perspective the most memorable was my education here and the friendships I created in Portage and once again I would like to congratulate all the award recipients, your hard work has prepared you for your next steps in your journey."
Mayor Moghrabi while speaking with the students also recognized how the Portage College plays an important role as an institution that has changed the lives of many members of the community in the region — especially in the surrounding aboriginal communities that have been positively impacted through education and employment.
"The percentage of First Nations and Metis students has been around 69 percent ," said the mayor, who was the coordinator of student housing at the college in the 1990s. He said the college has offered many community members a chance to further their lives and careers. "No matter where you go, you meet people leading productive lives, they have got an education... The success rate of our students is one of the highest in post-secondary students. When you have Metis and First Nations getting awards and scholarships that enables them to further their education it just shows how important education is."
MNA Local 2097 president Bourque Stratichuk is proud of the continued work of the students, and proud of the continued value that the Metis scholarships hold.
"It didn't take much convincing to see the need and the value of the endowment at Portage College. And ten years later, that value is even more critical and necessary for Alberta Metis, and I couldn't be happier to be here today to celebrate as you get your presentations," she told the 15 recipients, giving one last connection between the Metis and the college and an example of how the graduates can continue to excel in life. "The fact that the chair of the Portage College Board of Governors (Randy Benson) is not only a Metis but is also a graduate of this great institute, is success in itself."
The total of this year's awards was about $45,000.
