{"id":3922,"date":"2025-05-09T20:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T00:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/category-fr\/first-peoples-student-recognition-gala-an-evening-of-joy-and-celebration\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T15:38:18","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T19:38:18","slug":"first-peoples-student-recognition-gala-an-evening-of-joy-and-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/student-life\/first-peoples-student-recognition-gala-an-evening-of-joy-and-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"First Peoples Student Recognition Gala an Evening of Joy and Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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An evening marked by emotion, pride, and gratitude<\/h2>\n

The very first First Peoples Student Recognition Gala was held on Friday, May 2, 2025, in the St. Lawrence Auditorium. Organized by the CEGEPs of Quebec City\u2014Garneau, Limoilou, Sainte-Foy, and St. Lawrence, in collaboration with First Nations students from the C\u00e9geps and Indigenous partners\u2014the event brought together nearly 150 people in an atmosphere of respect, emotion, and celebration.<\/p>\n

The evening began with a prayer by Yolande Okia Picard, an elder of the Wendake community. A moving tribute was then paid to the ancestral lands of the First Peoples on which the colleges are rooted. This gesture, inspired by a spirit of reciprocity, set the tone for an event marked by collaboration, pride, and cultural sharing.<\/p>\n

\"Student
Student Logan Morsillo, accompanied to the gala by his great-grandmother, mother, and grandmother.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Remarkable achievements celebrated with heartfelt emotion<\/h3>\n

The highlight of the evening was the presentation of 16 recognition scholarships and a special award to honor Indigenous students for their leadership, perseverance, spirit of solidarity, and commitment to promoting Indigenous cultures. Sponsored by National Bank, the event’s main partner, and Puamun Meshkenu, these scholarships highlighted inspiring and deeply moving stories. In addition, $1,000 was awarded in various prizes awarded by the Quebec City Native Friendship Centre.<\/p>\n

The winners were selected based on specific criteria reflecting their impact on their community or CEGEP, their personal resilience, their cultural pride, and their ability to work collaboratively. Their testimonials deeply moved the audience and inspired great admiration.<\/p>\n

St. Lawrence student Logan Morsillo, who attended the gala with several members of his family, received an award for \u00ab\u00a0Promotion of Indigenous Cultures and Traditions\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n

\"Logan
Logan Morsillo receiving his award from the National Bank representative, Mr Gourouza.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A tribute to graduates and vibrant performances<\/h3>\n

During the evening, a tribute was paid to Indigenous graduates, highlighting their academic achievements, determination, and dreams for their communities.<\/p>\n

The evening ended on an artistic note with musical performances by students from participating CEGEPs, including traditional dance and song, as well as a performance by Atikamekw artist Sakay Ottawa from the community of Manawan. These performances provided a vibrant showcase of First Nations creativity and culture.<\/p>\n

A community mobilized around Indigenous students<\/h3>\n

The event also brought together a wide range of partners and allies:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Le Centre d\u2019amiti\u00e9 autochtone de Qu\u00e9bec<\/li>\n
  • Le Centre multi-services MAMUK<\/li>\n
  • Le Centre de d\u00e9veloppement de la formation et de la main-d\u2019\u0153uvre huron-wendat<\/li>\n
  • Le Conseil des Innus de Pessamit<\/li>\n
  • Le Conseil des Atikamekw de Wemotaci<\/li>\n
  • Le Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw de Manawan<\/li>\n
  • Several members of the educational and collegiate community<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Gala demonstrated the commitment of the CEGEPs to forging meaningful and lasting ties with Indigenous communities and families, some of whom traveled a long way to celebrate the achievements of their young people.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe success of this first Gala demonstrates a shared commitment to promoting Indigenous voices, recognizing their essential contribution to college life, and building a more inclusive, equitable, and representative future,\u201d said Edward Berryman, St. Lawrence’s Director of the Constituent College and Director of Studies.<\/p>\n

    The organizing CEGEPs would like to thank everyone who attended, our partners, the staff members involved, and especially the First Nations students, who are a true source of inspiration.<\/p>\n

    Congratulations to Logan and to all other award recipients.<\/p>\n

    \"From
    From left to right: St. Lawrence alumnus Samuel Rainville (Directeur Relations et engagement aupr\u00e8s des Premiers Peuples, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Trois-Rivi\u00e8res); award winners Logan Morsillo (St. Lawrence), Kimi Ottawa-Flamand (C\u00e9gep Garneau), \u00c9milie Labb\u00e9-Hervieux (C\u00e9gep de Limoilou), Janie Fontaine (C\u00e9gep de Sainte-Foy); Djibrim Gourouza (Directeur de succursale, National Bank).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Photos courtesy of MOB Photographe<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2267,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,93],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-scholarships-and-awards","category-student-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2267"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/slc.qc.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}