Pimiskâw Scholarship to Support Indigenous Students
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/02/15
Genevieve Decarie a Conseillère en communication for UQAT. The Pimiskâw Scholarship competition at UQAT supports Indigenous students by recognizing academic excellence, perseverance, and community involvement, while reducing financial barriers to higher education. The program was co-created with Indigenous students, UQAT’s First Peoples Service, Mamawi Mikimodan, and FUQAT, ensuring it aligns with Indigenous realities and values. The name “Pimiskâw,” symbolizing paddling a canoe, reflects perseverance and support during academic challenges. Nearly $75,000 in scholarships are available for 2025, with applications open from January 6–26. Organizations can contribute by donating through FUQAT. The initiative promotes access to education, retention, and the inclusion of Indigenous culture in academia, reflecting UQAT’s commitment to First Peoples.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How does the Pimiskâw Scholarship competition support Indigenous students at UQAT?
Genevieve Decarie: This program will support several university career pathways and recognize the excellence, perseverance and commitment of Indigenous students. While helping to reduce social inequalities and promoting access to higher education, these scholarships are also intended to attract more Indigenous people to post-secondary studies, and more specifically to UQAT.
- Excellence scholarships: aim to recognize the academic performance of students (in addition to results, various criteria will be considered such as attendance, progress, etc.).
- Perseverance scholarships: Recognize the tenacity of students who have an atypical or challenging background, and who demonstrate determination by succeeding in their studies.
- Involvement scholarships: aim to recognize students’ involvement in the university and/or community environment (Note: paid work and involvement in the workplace will not be considered)
Jacobsen: How does the collaboration between FUQAT, UQAT’s First Peoples Service, Mamawi Mikimodan, and Indigenous students influence the Pimiskâw Scholarship program?
Decarie: The competition is the result of a close collaboration between the Fondation de l’UQAT (FUQAT), UQAT’s First Peoples Service (FPS), the Mamawi Mikimodan service and members of the Indigenous student community. This co-creation process has made it possible to design a program that responds to the realities of Indigenous students.
For example, we consulted the members of the Indigenous student community and collaborated with them to develop a promising program that is adapted to their context, to better understand their needs and also to find a representative name for the competition, which would also highlight Indigenous language and culture. Through this initiative, we want to support them better and recognize the richness of their culture and their contribution to our university and our society.
Jacobsen: How does the Pimiskâw Scholarship initiative reflect UQAT’s commitment to First Peoples?
Decarie: The Pimiskâw Scholarship competition is yet another example of the long-standing collaboration between UQAT and Indigenous people over the past several years, but also based on UQAT’s principle of territorial recognition.This is a concrete demonstration of the University’s commitment to valuing the knowledge, culture and resilience of First Peoples by implementing means to promote and encourage access to studies and academic perseverance.
Jacobsen: What cultural symbolism is represented by the name “Pimiskâw”?
Decarie: The name Pimiskâw was chosen following a consultation with UQAT’s Indigenous students. It was proposed by Jérémie Brazeau, a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabe community and a student in the Bachelor of Teaching English as a Second Language program, at the Mont-Laurier Centre. The word refers to the action of paddling a canoe. “Being a canoeist, I associate my return to school with a trip down a river. Sometimes we run into rapids, but our canoe and our efforts will get us to where we want to go. I associate this financial aid with the canoe that helps us throughout our school career”, explains Mr. Brazeau. Pimiskâw symbolizes the support and perseverance needed to overcome the challenges of academic life.
Jacobsen: What is the total amount of scholarships available?
Decarie: This year, nearly $75,000 in scholarships are available
Jacobsen: How can organisations contribute to supporting the Pimiskâw Scholarship program?
Decarie: The Pimiskâw program exists because of generous donors who offer various scholarships to recognize excellence, perseverance and commitment. Any organization wishing to support this program and offer scholarships to Indigenous students is invited to contact the Fondation de l’UQAT, who manages the program. In the near future, we’d like to develop new scholarships to attract Indigenous students to programs where they are less represented. For example, in engineering, digital creation and psychoeducation.
INFO: fondation@uqat.ca
Jacobsen: What is the timeline for Indigenous students to apply to the scholarships?
Decarie: Indigenous students will be invited to submit their applications from January 6 to 26, 2025. The scholarships will be awarded in part at the Vallée-de-l’Or Scholarships Gala on April 2nd at the First Peoples Pavilion on the Val-d’Or campus, or according to the recipients’ home campus. Many Indigenous students are distance learners, some in their own communities. The Foundation will find an appropriate way to give them their bursary.
Jacobsen: How does the Pimiskâw Scholarship initiative aim increase access to post-secondary education?
Decarie: This program will support several university career pathways by reducing financial stress, enabling a better balance between family, work and study-related obligations, valuing post-secondary studies and encouraging student retention, etc.
By reducing social inequalities and promoting access to higher education, these scholarships are also intended to attract more Indigenous people to post-secondary studies, and more specifically to UQAT.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time.
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