Metis students at Lakeland college will have more financial support as they continue their studies. On Tuesday, Rupertsland Institute and the Metis Education Foundation presented a $287,600 cheque to Lakeland to financially support Metis students attending the college.
There are currently 167 self-declared Indigenous students at Lakeland and 38 of which are Metis. President Metis Nation of Alberta Audrey Poitras says a fairly good portion of the 38 students will receive funding if needed.
“What is usually determine is how big is each of those funds going to be, which will determine how man actual students can be funded each year,” says Poitras. “The reason we want to put it into an endowment is to ensure that students can continue year after year applying for those funds. It’s not just a one time and then sorry we can’t help you anymore.”
The $287,600 donation will be combined with funding from Lakeland and previous donations from both organizations to create an endowment fund of $500,000 to ensure bursaries are available for future students.
CEO and Lakeland President Dr.Alice Wainwright-Stewart says students will now be able to attend a post-secondary institution without worrying about the financial stress.
“One in six students can’t attend because of financial needs. Every little bit of support that these students will get will help them as they continue their education.”
To date, nine Metis students at Lakeland have received financial support through this partnership.