Student awards

Born in Victoria, BC in 1912, Mrs. Donald moved to Whitehorse in 1976 following brain surgery that left her without the use of her right arm, limited use of her right leg, and a severe speech impediment. She was well known for her production of hooked wall hangings, which she would craft with her non-dominant hand. 

Born in Ontario, Audrey McLaughlin was executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association and a social worker in Toronto prior to moving to Whitehorse in 1979. In Yukon, Audrey opened a consulting business, working on projects such as child welfare legislation and research on land claims and aboriginal self-government.

In 1987, Audrey was recruited to run for the New Democratic Party nomination which she won, going on to win the federal by·election later that year. The first New Democratic Party MP ever elected in Yukon, Audrey distinguished herself in the House. She was chosen Party Leader two years later - the first woman to lead a national political party in Canada. Audrey remained party leader until 1995 and represented Yukon as Member of Parliament until 1997.

Audrey holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of Toronto and honourary doctorates from the Universities of Toronto, Guelph and Northern British Columbia.

An Officer of the Order of Canada, Audrey continues to be an active community volunteer and a strong advocate for democracy, peace and public service at home and in developing nations throughout the world.

Gary Fulcher moved with his family to the Yukon when he was a teenager and completed most of his secondary education at Whitehorse High School. Even after his family moved “back east” to Ottawa, Gary returned to the North to work at the Stewart Cassiar Asbestos Mine for three summers.

Gary’s fondness of the Yukon and the North shines through every time he speaks of the territory, the people he knew there and the adventures he shared with them. He highlights that a notable portion of his Yukon memories came from the respect, care and humour that he enjoyed from his Indigenous classmates and friends even though residential schools were in full operation at that time.

Gary understands first-hand the challenges that Indigenous youth face as they must leave their families, communities and way of life to pursue post-secondary education. He hopes that his award will assist a young Indigenous learner to embark of a journey of higher learning, skill development and commitment to the future.

This award was established by the former Developmental Studies Division of Yukon College in 1995 at the time of Hazel Fekete’s retirement in order to recognize her commitment from 1964 as an instructor, and later as dean, to the students in academic upgrading classes. 

Rolf and Margaret Hougen have been pillars of the North for their entire adult lives. In a book documenting their history, they provided advice to their own grandchildren and would like to share this advice with applicants for the scholarship:

Education is important and will give you an excellent foundation for all of your endeavours in the years ahead.  Build yourself into a person of integrity and trustworthiness, and ensure you have a reputation for honesty.  Seek advice from those around you but in the end make up your own mind.  When starting out in your career, be prepared to live simply until you can reduce your debts and are successful enough to afford some luxuries.

Rolf was the founder of many Yukon community organizations, including: the Young People’s Association, the first Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous event, and the Yukon Foundation. Nationally, Rolf chaired the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and co-founded the satellite delivery network Cancom, the first company in the world to provide a unique system to deliver radio and television to remote and underserved regions of Canada. Rolf is also a recipient of the Order of Canada. To this day, both Rolf and Margaret remain committed contributors to the arts community in the Yukon and to the preservation of the territory’s unique heritage.

Yukon University is a publicly funded university, providing a wide range of programs to local and international students.  The University has earned a reputation for quality instruction and small class sizes, providing students with an outstanding educational experience.  Yukon University's programming meets the needs of students and communities in the Yukon, and beyond.

While Juri Peepre’s love for nature was nurtured in Ontario, as soon as he had earned his BA, he headed west in search of wilder places. His dream job that first summer — mapping little known rivers in northern British Columbia as part of Parks Canada’s Wild Rivers Survey — confirmed his love for wild waters as well.

He spent many summers exploring rivers in the Northwest Territories but it was after moving to the Yukon in 1987 that he found the landscape that inspired him above all — the Peel watershed. His innovative campaign efforts to show others the wonders of this remote region culminated with the Three Rivers Project — a multi-week journey with artists, writers, photographers and First Nations people down the Wind, Snake and Bonnet Plume rivers. The end result was a book and a travelling art exhibition.

Juri recognized and worked on conservation opportunities around the Yukon. He would be honoured to know that he is helping young Yukoners learn more about the magnificent region in which they live, and ways that they can help protect and manage it for the future.

Kristy Burgess wanted to make a difference, and she spent her life doing just that. A career in social work was a natural extension of who she was in her daily life; a gentle, yet strong, support to family, friends and, without hesitation, strangers.

Kristy moved with her family to the Yukon from British Columbia when she was a young child and spent her elementary school years in Teslin. Upon graduating high school in Whitehorse, she travelled throughout South America and Asia. Witnessing the lives of the underprivileged in these countries inspired her to pursue a career in social work.

Kristy was a good listener, caring and a natural social worker. Her practicum in Dawson City inspired her to work in other communities around the Yukon. After she graduated in 2013, she opted for positions in Watson Lake and Carmacks, and later as a youth probation officer in Whitehorse.  In addition to her day job, Kristy was passionate about yoga. In 2019 she went to India to become a yoga instructor. She dreamed of teaching yoga and before her passing she had begun teaching yoga to high school students and teachers.

She was tiny in stature but large in heart: more curious than judgmental, with a desire to fight for what is right. Kristy believed in the power of restorative justice and was preparing to do her Master’s degree in Social Work shortly before she passed away.

Kristy lived by her values and wanted to make the world a better place. Family and friends, forever impacted by her wisdom and compassion, often ask themselves, “WWKS - What would Kristy say?” Their hearts tell them that she would encourage us all to do what feels right and care for each other.

Kristy’s family and friends have established an endowment in her memory to support students seeking a career in Social Work.

Native Northwest is committed to building everyday connection to Indigenous cultures through authentic art. The company’s lifelong relationship with each artist is built on a foundation of respect and authenticity, ensuring that each artist is honoured and able to tell the stories of their communities and cultures through their distinct designs.

These awards were made possible by the Native Northwest Reconciliation Fund. Everyone at the company hopes that this award, and the conversations it initiates, will foster reflection, inspiration and ultimately, action.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in London, Paul's career with Bell Canada carried him and his family across Ontario and Quebec and ultimately to Whitehorse as the President and CEO of Northwestel for 18 years.

Paul always encouraged the pursuit of education at all levels and the healthy competition found in sport. His interests culminated into his roles as the Chair of the Board of Governors at Yukon College for six years and the Canada Games Board of Governors for eleven years. Paul also had an extreme love for the north and discovered it thoroughly by foot, raft, canoe, snowmobile, air and dogsled.

Shawn Kitchen was a lifelong Yukoner with a true passion for life.  He approached his career in aviation with the right balance of enthusiasm, drive, passion and intelligence. Everyone who came into contact with Shawn felt welcomed and supported by him. Shawn also traveled widely and committed his time to mentor youth as a volunteer leader for Scouts Canada.  

 The Alkan Air family hopes this scholarship helps you achieve your aviation dreams.

Steve Donoghue was born May 5, 1959 in London, England, before his mother, Patricia, and father, Michael, immigrated to Canada. He grew up with his two younger sisters, Michelle and Rachel, in Rexdale, Ontario, Canada.

Steve was a man who loved the world around him and who loved his family above all things. He was a hunter and fisherman with a deep respect for the land and every creature that occupied it. He had a curious spirit and was always willing to learn and to discover new things and new places. He had been an avid adventurer since his youth, which began with hunting and fishing trips with his father. Steve had dreams of exploring Canada, and at one point, he took many different trips across the country, spending weeks, if not months at a time, out in the wilderness, doing his best to live off the land. Steve obtained his bush pilot licence so he could show others the beauty in our lands and rivers. But Steve put his family above all, and when they needed him, Steve put these dreams aside.

One of his dreams was to visit the Yukon. He talked about it constantly, sharing it with his sisters and mother, and even his nieces and nephew. He wanted to go and explore the place that had been described in so many of his favourite books and stories, and to experience the beauties of nature he had only seen on television. It was always his plan: to get there someday. Steve passed in July 2023 without this dream being realized. He had spent the last several years helping to rebuild his family cottage with his sister, Michelle, and his nieces and nephew, and they know he would never consider it time wasted. Yet still, it is hard not to reflect on all Steve sacrificed to support his family. He was a man who knew how to love, and how to do it well. He was our son, brother and uncle.

Steve’s sister, Rachel, therefore, wants to help Steve fulfill his dream. Through the Steve Donoghue Memorial Award, she hopes to bring her brother to the Yukon as he always wanted and allow his memory to help care for the natural world he so admired and dreamed of. The award is given in his name to YukonU students enrolled in the Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences program. Rachel, and the rest of Steve’s family and many friends, hope his legacy may ensure that this Earth and its creatures are both respected and protected for generations to come.

A tribute to Steve by Nicole Donoghue-Stanford-Ross

Founded in 2012, George & Bell Consulting is a firm of pension, benefits and investment consulting professionals. They work with various pension and benefit plans, Indigenous trusts, endowments, foundations and other investment entities, and provide advice to Indigenous Trustees, boards, committees, unions and other stakeholders. They feel fortunate to have relationships with a number of Yukon-based organizations.

Founded in 2012, George & Bell Consulting is a firm of pension, benefits and investment consulting professionals. They work with various pension and benefit plans, Indigenous trusts, endowments, foundations and other investment entities, and provide advice to Indigenous Trustees, boards, committees, unions and other stakeholders. They feel fortunate to have relationships with a number of Yukon-based organizations.

Aron Senkpiel, a dean of Yukon College from 1982 to 1992, was passionate about the North and initiated the Northern Studies program. During his time, and largely due to his efforts, the territorial government awarded Yukon College with a one million dollar endowment fund to support northern and Yukon research. He also oversaw the development of the Renewable Resources Management program, the Bachelor of Social Work program, and Women's Studies. He also worked to introduce the Masters of Education and Masters of Public Administration in collaboration with Simon Fraser University and the University of Alaska Southeast respectively. Aron's vision of a 'higher education in the North, for the North, and by the North' is now a reality. 

Dylan Alexis was a twenty-four year old carpentry student, from Kwanlin Dün First Nation, Crow Clan. He was also father to a three and a half month old son when he suddenly passed away. He was determined to work as a carpenter and learn as much as he could about the trade. He was incredibly excited about starting his new career and he was a meticulous craftsperson. This bursary was established in his memory.

EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc. focuses on living things and where they live. A consulting company with over two decades of experience, EDI offices can be found in seven locations in western and northern Canada. In the Yukon, EDI has worked for developers, First Nations and governments and has developed a reputation for providing practical advice and effective results.

The International Congress on Circumpolar Health gatherings are held every three years in a different location in the circumpolar region. The Congress is the largest scientific meeting on circumpolar health worldwide . The 8th International Congress on Circumpolar Health was held from May 20-25, 1990 in Whitehorse, Yukon with 1,000 delegates in attendance. This Congress focused on the concerns of health-care delivery in a high-cost region.

Pierre Berton was the chancellor at Yukon College from 1989 to 1993. He was born in Whitehorse, Yukon in 1920. Pierre was the son of a gold-seeker and worked in the Klondike mining camps during his university years. He went on to become an editor and columnist at newspapers and magazines, a television personality and an author. Pierre is now among Canada's most well-known authors with 50 published books, many of which are considered Canadian classics. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada and was inducted into Canada's Hall of Fame in 1998. Pierre passed away in 2004 in Toronto, Ontario after publishing his last book entitled, Pioneers of the North, which was a collection of biographical sketches on five of Canada's northern explorers.

kobayashi+zedda architects ltd. is the largest Yukon architecture firm with a combined experience of almost 50 years working in every eco-region of the Yukon. The firm has a team that includes urban planners, architects, general contractors and carpenters.

360˚ Design Build is an active private developer, having constructed a myriad of multi-use commercial/residential projects in downtown Whitehorse. 

Deeply involved in the transformation of downtown Whitehorse into a vibrant living and working community. KZA and 360˚ Design Build believe in a compact, pedestrian-friendly environment, where building design is a reflection of the conditions unique to this part of the world. They also believe that a gender balance in the construction trades, reflective of the general population, supports effective building projects.

Kristy Burgess wanted to make a difference, and she spent her life doing just that. A career in social work was a natural extension of who she was in her daily life: a gentle, yet strong, support to family, friends and, without hesitation, strangers.

Kristy moved with her family to the Yukon from British Columbia when she was a young child and spent her elementary school years in Teslin. Upon graduating high school in Whitehorse, she travelled throughout South America and Asia. Witnessing the lives of the underprivileged in these countries inspired her to pursue a career in social work.

Kristy was a good listener, caring and a natural social worker. Her practicum in Dawson City inspired her to work in other communities around the Yukon. After she graduated in 2013, she opted for positions in Watson Lake and Carmacks, and later as a youth probation officer in Whitehorse.  In addition to her day job, Kristy was passionate about yoga. In 2019 she went to India to become a yoga instructor. She dreamed of teaching yoga and before her passing she had begun teaching yoga to high school students and teachers.

She was tiny in stature but large in heart: more curious than judgmental, with a desire to fight for what is right. Kristy believed in the power of restorative justice and was preparing to do her Master’s degree in Social Work shortly before she passed away.

Kristy lived by her values and wanted to make the world a better place. Family and friends, forever impacted by her wisdom and compassion, often ask themselves, “WWKS - What would Kristy say?” Their hearts tell them that she would encourage us all to do what feels right and care for each other.

Kristy’s family and friends have established an endowment in her memory to support students seeking a career in Social Work.

Lorene grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver but always dreamed of living near the wilderness in the North. She moved to Whitehorse at age 33 in 1988 where she was able to pursue her twin passions of paddling Yukon rivers and riding her horse in dressage competitions or with her partner Hugh Monaghan in the hills above Lake Laberge.  Lorene was a creative and engaging English teacher for over 25 years teaching primarily in our Adult Basic Education program.  She was an excellent writer, editor and mentor and particularly loved teaching and writing poetry. She also developed curriculum for the Northern Institute of Social Justice. 

She received two awards – one in 1995 for her innovative teaching and one in 2014 for her many contributions to the institution.  She was particularly proud of establishing our Writing Centre where students could receive individual mentoring to improve their writing.   She passed away in August 2014 due to a tragic fall from her much-loved horse.

This writing award in Lorene’s name hopes to continue her legacy of inspiring others to find their voice and tell their stories especially about their experience of living in the North.

Native Northwest is committed to building everyday connection to Indigenous cultures through authentic art. The company's lifelong relationship with each artist (whose art is featured on Native Northwest's products) is built on a foundation of respect and authenticity, ensuring that each artist is honoured and able to tell the stories of their communities and cultures through their distinct designs.

These awards were made possible by the Native Northwest Reconciliation Fund. Everyone at the company hopes that this award, and the conversations it initiates, will foster reflection, inspiration and ultimately, action.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in London, Paul's career with Bell Canada carried him and his family across Ontario and Quebec and ultimately to Whitehorse as the President and CEO of Northwestel for 18 years.

Paul always encouraged the pursuit of education at all levels and the healthy competition found in sport. His interests culminated into his roles as the Chair of the Board of Governors at Yukon College for six years and the Canada Games Board of Governors for eleven years. Paul also had an extreme love for the north and discovered it thoroughly by foot, raft, canoe, snowmobile, air and dogsled.

Stephen Osborne was a coordinator/instructor at the Haines Junction Campus for many years, and continues to teach both Wilderness and Standard First Aid classes for the University.

Dr. Weninger was the president of Yukon College from 2006-2011, and president at the College of New Caledonia in Prince George from 1990-2004. He was also Deputy Minister of Education in Yukon and vice-president at Medicine Hat College.

Whitehorse Motors is the official Ford Dealership serving Whitehorse and area. They are locally owned and operated and are active sponsors and volunteers in the community.

The Yukon Chamber of Mines represents a dynamic membership numbering over 400. Since its creation, the Yukon Chamber of Mines has worked to protect and promote the interests of Yukon’s mineral exploration, development and mining industry through clear initiatives and policies which encourage a safe, economically viable, socially and environmentally responsible industry.

As representatives from both the University and community, the Yukon University Board of Governors role is to set and govern the University's vision, mission and strategic plan. The Board is empowered by the Yukon University Act. For more information on the Board, see yukonu.ca/about/bog

Dave Jang lived his life in Vancouver, BC with a lot of spontaneity and with no regrets. A caring man, he was active in the BC Ataxia Society, Air Cadets, various support groups, and the Royal Canadian Legion. He loved outings with his family, friends and clan gatherings. A single parent to two sons in his forties, he empathized with people facing personal challenges.

Dave and Mary visited family in the Yukon in the fall of 2017. He had hoped to make more trips to the territory but he passed way suddenly in the summer of 2018.

Members of the Yukon Party Executive came together to offer $2,000 annually to Yukon University students enrolled in the Environmental Monitoring program, especially those who reside in communities outside Whitehorse, to attain a meaningful, skilled education in the territory’s mineral exploration and development industry.

After graduating from the University of Western Ontario in London, Paul's career with Bell Canada carried him and his family across Ontario and Quebec and ultimately to Whitehorse as the President and CEO of Northwestel for 18 years.

Paul always encouraged the pursuit of education at all levels and the healthy competition found in sport. His interests culminated into his roles as the Chair of the Board of Governors at Yukon College for six years and the Canada Games Board of Directors for eleven years. Paul also had an extreme love for the north and discovered it thoroughly by foot, raft, canoe, snowmobile, air and dogsled.

The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community. With over 7,500 members around the world, PDAC’s work centres on supporting a competitive, responsible mineral sector.

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food and non-food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers around the world.

Michele Genest is a writer and cookbook author who moved to Whitehorse from Toronto in the mid-1990s. She came to visit her sister, fell in love with the North and just never left. The wilderness was intimidating at first, but gradually she came to know and love the bush by going on berry picking expeditions with friends.

As she learned about the wild foods of the boreal forest, she also learned about the close connection between Yukon Indigenous people and the land. Michele honours and thanks Yukon’s Indigenous people for their ways of knowing and being on the land, and for sharing their knowledge so generously.

Across Canada, Indigenous chefs are writing books, opening restaurants and starting businesses; they are collaborating, learning, and supporting each other on this inspiring journey.

Michele is excited about Indigenous students in the Culinary Arts program at YukonU adding their voices to the Indigenous food stories being told across the country, in professional kitchens, at community gatherings, and at feasts and celebrations.

She hopes that the Naganainlyaa K’itanahee - Follow Your Dream Award will help Indigenous students pursue their culinary passion in the way that most inspires them, whether it be:

• pursuing their Red Seal Certification
• exploration of a specific skill (eg., baking, gala events, French cuisine)
• developing a business plan for a culinary/catering business
• developing and marketing a food product, or
• acquiring the supplies or equipment related to the Culinary field to cook for their community.

The Joyce Family Foundation is a private, family foundation created by Ronald V. Joyce (1930-2019). Ron Joyce is best known as the legendary Canadian behind the success of the Tim Hortons franchise. He stood with a strong work ethic and business acumen, and his passion for helping young Canadians reflects a deep-rooted sense of responsibility to give back to his community.

The Joyce Family Foundation is dedicated to supporting the social, economic and emotional well-being of children and youth by empowering them to develop into healthy, confident, independent contributors to Canadian·society.