Two people from the University of Victoria (UVic) community with Indigenous heritage have been recognized nationally with Indspire Awards.
Associate professor Mona Lisa Bourque Bearskin and student Garrett Hrechka were celebrated during a May ceremony, the highest honour Indigenous communities bestow upon their people.
A Cree Métis Registered Nurse, scholar and national leader from Beaver Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 Territory, Bourque Bearskin is an associate professor in the School of Nursing, and one of six inaugural Canadian Institutes of Health Research-Institute of Indigenous Peoples Health Indigenous Health Nursing Research Chairs in the country. She was recognized with an Indspire Award for health.
“I am so very proud to carry my family’s story in all that I do because if it wasn’t for them, I would not be here today. I am especially humbled by this opportunity to recognize my community as making this all possible,” Bourque Bearskin says.
“To be part of the powerful mix of First Nations, Inuk and Métis thinkers and doers who all clearly come from a place of cultural pride and a deep sense of responsibility to their families, communities and collective well-being was electrifying and inspiring.”
UVic mathematics and computer science student Garrett Hrechka received the Indspire youth award. A citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation, Hrechka has championed conversations bridging traditional knowledge systems and future-focused technology in spaces where Indigenous representation in AI and tech remains scarce.
Education creates opportunity, and opportunity shapes the future. If we have the chance to make that path clearer and more accessible for our youth, we have a responsibility to take it.”
—Garrett Hrechka, UVic mathematics and computer science student
The Indspire Awards were created in 1993, in conjunction with the United Nation’s International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The Awards recognize Indigenous professionals and youth who demonstrate outstanding career achievement. They promote self-esteem and pride for Indigenous communities and provide outstanding role models for Indigenous youth.
