Nursing Students Receive Indigenous Achievement Awards

At Marquis Hall on the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Saskatoon Campus on March 13^th, five College of Nursing students were celebrated for receiving Indigenous Student Achievement Awards, honouring Indigenous students from across USask for their academic achievement, community engagement, leadership, research and resiliency.

Janae Burnouf (She/Her)

Resiliency Award

From: Beauval, Saskatchewan
Program: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Current Location: Saskatoon

Janae Burnouf is in her final year of the USask Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She is a proud Métis woman who has lived in more than five towns, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. She calls Beauval, Saskatchewan home, where most of her family is from. Her parents reside in Beauval and Lac Ile-a-la-Crosse, her mom is a dental hygienist and therapist, and her dad is a member of the RCMP. She has two younger brothers, one (19) is in his second year of computer engineering at USask, and one in grade 10.

After Janae completes her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, she would like to work at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon for two years before applying to the USask Nurse Practitioner program.

In the future, she sees herself becoming a community health nurse, working in the north in the smaller communities where she is from to provide care and support for those in need. In her spare time, she enjoys working out at the gym, going for walks, cooking, and spending quality time with her friends.

Janae was nominated for this award by the College of Nursing.

Caitlin McNeill (She/Her)

Leadership Award

From: Mosakahiken Cree Nation
Program: Master of Nursing Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner
Current Location: The Pas, Manitoba

Caitlin McNeill is a nurse practitioner student and a member of the Mosakahiken Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. She completed her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Manitoba in 2015 and a Master of Public Health at the University of Victoria in 2024. She has worked her entire career in the north. Her clinical experience includes emergency nursing, obstetrics, intermediate care, acute care, and working as the supervisor of an opioid agonist therapy (OAT) program, the first of its kind in a First Nation in Manitoba.

During her time with the Opaskwayak Cree Nation's OAT program, she was instrumental in expanding access and improving the cultural relevance of opioid treatment in First Nations communities. She developed a policy and procedure manual for use in outlying nursing stations, acting as a consultant for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba in the development of their prescribing practices manual, and become a faculty member for the OAT continuing competency course formerly required for physicians and pharmacists interested in providing OAT care.

In 2022, she became the director of health services for the Opaskwayak Health Authority, where she continues to advocate for reconciliation, equity, and the integration of Cree perspectives into health service delivery.

Caitlin was nominated for this award by the College of Nursing.

Robyn Klassen (She/Her)

Leadership Award

From: Lac La Ronge Indian Band
Program: Master of Nursing Thesis
Current Location: La Ronge, SK

Robyn Klassen has lived in La Ronge, SK her entire life and is a proud member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. She relocated to Saskatoon in 2011 to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the University of Regina and successfully completed her program in September 2014.

She practiced as a registered nurse at Lac La Ronge Indian Band Health Services as a public health nurse from 2015 to 2021 and as the public health nursing supervisor since 2021.

She is a certified First Nations Health Manager through the First Nations Health Manager Association and a student in her second year of the USask Master of Nursing Thesis program.

In her personal life, she has two young children, coaches with the La Ronge Figure Skating Club, and serves as treasurer on the Tri-Community Dance Club Board of Directors.

Robyn was nominated for this award by the College of Nursing.

Kelly Tolley-Procyk (She/Her)

Academic Achievement Award

From: Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Program: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Current Location: Prince Albert

Kelly Tolley-Procyk is a 4th year nursing student at the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert Campus. She is a proud member of the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan Western Region 2 with family roots in St. Louis and Batoche.

After completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree this spring and writing her national licensing exam, she hopes to work in neonatal intensive care in Prince Albert.

Kelly was nominated for this award by the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert Campus. She wishes to thank the USask Prince Albert Campus for this nomination and significant honour.

Kellsey Brazeau (She/Her)

Community Engagement Award

From: Cote First Nation
Program: Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Current Location: Saskatoon

Kellsey Brazeau is from Cote First Nation and is a fourth-year nursing student. She is committed to community care through practicums and summer employment in her home communities’ health centers. She has been a mentor in the Building Intercultural Resilience Mentorship Program (BIRM) for four years and also participated in the UPLIFT and Rivers to Success programs.

She has shown dedication to serving her communities through her strengths as a proud Indigenous student and will continue to do so as she moves into her professional career in health services.

Kellsey was nominated for this award by the University of Saskatchewan Office of the Vice Provost Indigenous Engagement.

“Congratulations to our Indigenous Student Achievement Award recipients Janae, Caitlin, Robyn, Kelly and Kellsey,” said College of Nursing Dean Dr. Solina Richter (DCur). “These students should take great pride in these nominations and celebrate these awards. To be recognized for their resiliency, leadership, academic achievement, and community engagement is an important acknowledgment of the successes that have led them to be selected as this year’s recipients. We are incredibly fortunate to have these students as part of the College of Nursing student body and I look forward to following them on their nursing journey in the future.”

The University of Saskatchewan celebrates Métis, First Nations, and Inuit students, staff, faculty, and alumni successes annually during Indigenous Achievement Week. The 2025 celebration was hosted March 10^th - 14^th.