Scholarship winners at Games
Nunavummiut at Fairbanks get financial help for their post-secondary studies
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Published Monday, March 31, 2014
FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
An Iqaluit performer and a Rankin Inlet wrestler returned home from Fairbanks with more than medals. Drum dancer Rachel Michael and wrestler Johnny Misheralak also won a president's scholarship to help with their education.
"I'm feeling really excited," Michael said, who represented Nunavut as part of the Inuksuk Drum Dancers cultural team. "It's a great honour to have been chosen to get this scholarship, and it's really uplifting to hear the other peoples' ideas on what they want to do after high school."
Games president Jeff Jacobson announced the winners at the closing ceremony March 22. Each of the nine winners gets $500, which can be doubled to $1,000 if the recipient attends a UArctic school.
Misheralak won for his essay about the Northern Dream.
"I wrote about how I want to get a good paying job and how I want to keep our culture alive, mainly hunting and speaking Inuktitut," he said. "That's the language of Nunavut and my ancestors' language."
"I think it just shows how hard he's actually worked," said coach Danielle Fitzgerald of Arviat. "He earned it. He's an amazing kid and plans on becoming an electrician. I think it's an excellent opportunity for him, and I'm glad he won it."
Michael was the only non-athlete receiving the award.
"Rachel is one of our fluent Inuktitut speakers within the choir, so she is a huge help when it comes to learning new songs in Inuktitut," Team Nunavut cultural manager Mary Piercey said. "Rachel's a role model within the choir, not only because she's a fantastic performer, but she also guides the young members of the choir to strive for excellence not only in their singing but in their academic achievements."
Both are graduating this year. Misheralak has not decided where he wants to go to school, while Michael plans to attend Nunavut Arctic College for interpretation and translation.
"I want to go to Arctic College and study interpreting and translating to help me bring back my language stronger," Michael said. "And then I want to go to university after that."
Misheralak won bronze in the Inuit wrestling up to 90-kg category. Michael earned silver in the AWG's Got Talent competition for a song about alcoholism and suicide.
