Cambridge and Guelph students recipients of Lieutenant Governor Legacy Awards

A student from Cambridge and two from Guelph have officially been named as recipients for the Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy Awards.

The awards are designed to honour the legacies of four Lieutenant Governors: Lincoln M. Alexander, James Bartleman, David C. Onley, and Hilary M. Weston. Each is given to individuals who demonstrate exemplary qualities or works in various given areas including anti-racism, the arts, accessibility and mental health research.

Given Messam-Harris, a student from Cambridge, has been named as one of the recipients of the Lincoln M. Alexander Award. The award is given annually to young leaders who have demonstrated leadership in fighting racism and discrimination, while promoting equity and inclusion in their communities.

“A school leader, he created workshops focused on racism and created a Multicultural Week,” said the Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in a statement. “He represented Waterloo in the Ontario Human Rights Commission Anti-Racism roundtable talks and served on the Waterloo Region District School Board’s Black Youth Advisory Committee.”

The two award winners from Guelph are Noah Faucher and Robyn Mahood.

Faucher has been named as a recipient of the James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Award, which is given to Indigenous junior (12 years and younger) and senior (13 to 18 years old) students for their creative writing talent in three geographic categories: Fly-in Community, On-Reserve, and Off-Reserve.

The winners are chosen by an independent committee from Indigenous communities.

“Noah Faucher’s poem, “Blossom in the City,” details the writer’s journey in reconnecting with the customs and traditions of his ancestors,” said the statement. “Learning more about his culture brings him comfort in his life in the city.”

The other Guelph winner, Mahood, was named a recipient of the Hilary M. Weston Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to two social network students for academic excellence and dedication to advancing mental health research.

“Robyn Mahood is undertaking her Master’s thesis at Wilfrid Laurier University focused on finding new ways to promote healing for survivors of intimate partner violence,” said the statement. “After a decade working in the intellectual property industry, she returned to school to become a social worker, determined to create space for women to feel safe.”

Each of the winners have been given a personalized certificate for their achievement as well as a monetary award. The full details on these winners as well as the remaining 11 from across Ontario can be found on the Ontario provincial website.