Sarah de Leeuw
Celebrated alumna Dr. Sarah de Leeuw clearly had all that in mind when she created the Skeena Award in Creative Writing, which specifically supports Indigenous or women undergraduate students who have either grown up or spent the majority of their lives in rural and northern communities in BC (or Canada), and have a focus on poetry or creative nonfiction.
Now a professor with UNBC’s Northern Medical Program and UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, as well as a Canada Research Chair in Humanities and Health Inequities, Sarah de Leeuw created the Skeena Award in honour of her parents — both UVic alumni themselves — who raised her in northern BC near the Skeena River. A member of the Royal Society of Canada and the director of UNBC’s Health Arts Research Centre, de Leeuw teaches in the areas of anti-colonialism and health humanities. She is also an award-
winning writer, having won a BC & Yukon Book Prize for her poetry, the CBC Literary Award for her creative nonfiction (twice), and a Western Magazine Gold Award for her essay about murdered and missing Indigenous women in northern BC.
Given all that, it’s hard to image anyone more suitable for the Skeena Award than current recipient Jaime Rogers — a mature Indigenous woman who, after many years working, came to UVic to pursue poetry and creative writing. “To study art has long been an aspiration of mine — though one that seemed out of reach, having grown up in a small, northern community with limited access,” says Rogers. “To pursue the arts at UVic was a brave choice, made easier by this generosity.”
It’s connections like these that continue to inspire our donors, and help create a community of support for our students.