We’re pleased to award two recent graduates from the Rising Sun program who have carried on into post-secondary school programs in 2019.

Lilly-Ann Nepinak and Saphire Fiddler both received Sister MacNamara awards for this as well as a Sister Bernadette O’Reilly Scholarship to help them with their individual goals.

Lilly-Ann

Lilly-Ann Nepinak graduated from Rising Sun high school in June of 2019 and enrolled in September 2019 at Red River College in the Aboriginal Language- Ojibwe program.

Lilly-Ann’s future plans include becoming a teaching assistant and taking more language education programs.

We’re very pleased to award Lilly-Ann with a Sister Bernadette O’Reilly scholarship. Congratulations!

Lilly-Ann graduated from RRC in June 2020.

Saphire

Saphire Fiddler graduated from Rising Sun high school in June of 2019. She was enrolled in the Build From Within program in the Educational Assistant diploma program. In January of 2020 she took courses at the University of Winnipeg while she waited to start the integrated BA and Bachelor of Education program in September of 2020.

We’re thrilled to be able to support Saphire with her future plans and award her with a Sister Bernadette O’Reilly scholarship in 2019.

2021 Gikendaaso Scholarship recipient

Saphire Fiddler graduated from Rising Sun in June 2019. She received her Educational Assistant Diploma from the University of Winnipeg in January of 2020. She is currently enrolled in online classes with the University of Winnipeg. She is in her first year in the integrated BA & Bachelor of Education program majoring in English with a minor in Indigenous studies.

Future

Saphire’s goal is to become a high school English teacher back in her home community of Sandy Lake located in northern Ontario. Or at an off-campus school in Winnipeg, like Rising Sun.

 

Saphire would like to show younger generations to continue their education, including her own 7-year-old son. She says that there is a stereotype that if you are Indigenous you cannot succeed and she would like to show others that it IS possible!

 

Congratulations Saphire. We believe you can do it, too!

Gikendaaso Scholarship

This scholarship was generously created by Nick Logan in honour of his wife, Christine Skene. Their goal is to encourage and champion young women who are pursuing post-secondary education. This scholarship is a way to help to remove financial roadblocks from the student’s educational journey.

Thank you Christine and Nick for sharing your generosity with Rossbrook House.

The award is named the Gikendaaso Scholarship, an Ojibway word meaning smart, intelligent, educated.