ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Fund 2023 Award Recipients

Victoria, BC, June 26, 2023 - The ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Fund Award for 2023 has been awarded to three recipients: Elijah Patrick, a second year Civil Engineering student at the University of British Columbia Okanagan; Connie Davis, a PhD student in Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia; and Stacie Coutlee, a PhD student in Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. 

Established in June 2021 by AME Group, Gwaii Engineering, Diamond Schmitt, Number TEN Architectural Group, AES Engineering, RJC Engineers, and the Victoria Native Friendship Centre; the ḴEL,ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Fund aims to bring more Indigenous voices into architecture and building design, imbuing these industries with Indigenous values, perspectives and ways of knowing, being and doing.

“Failure is part of the plan, it’s a sign that you’ve crossed a line that you never thought you’d cross before.” Elijah Patrick

“I am eternally grateful to the organization for the award and contributing to my educational journey. They truly recognized my Indigenous way of being and values that will be shared in the engineering field.” Connie Davis

“‘We cannot just write about it; we must demonstrate it too.’ - Shawn Wilson. 

Due to intergenerational trauma, I was blinded by fear, I had limited views that minimized my awareness. In moving forward, I learned to become accountable for things I cannot change. I acquired tools that empowered me to respond differently.

This new thinking allows me to have a new experience with life. Otherwise, I would not have been accepted into a Graduate program without an undergrad.” Stacie Coutlee

“On behalf of our fund’s partners, I wish to congratulate Elijah Patrick, Connie Davis, and Stacie Coutlee for being recipients of our fund in 2023,” said Kear Porttris, Chair, ḴEL,ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Advisory Committee. “Not only will they bring Indigenous knowledge into their professional careers, they are already re-defining what engineering design, inclusion and professionalism in Canada is by bringing Indigenous practices and ideals into their studies.

We are proud to be growing our offering and acknowledge the great work the applicants are doing in their fields. This is a tremendous time to be Indigenous professionals and it is exciting to see so many Indigenous people aligning their profession with their culture and community priorities.”

The ḴEL,ḴELOŦEN ȻE S,ISTEW̱ Fund provides a minimum of one annual award of $5,000 to Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit, or Métis architectural or engineering students in British Columbia. To be eligible, students must identify as an Indigenous, First Nations, Inuit, or Métis persons from British Columbia with a desire to pursue a career in the architecture and engineering industry. All applicants are provided with the opportunity to make direct connections with industry professionals through the fund’s mentorship program.

For further media enquiries, please contact: media@indigenousaeaward.ca

Download the press kit here.