A cree student whose lifelong dream is to help native communities heal from past injustices has been honored for his services to the people of North Bay, Ontario where is a student at the Nipissing University.
The student, Deverick Ottereyes-Rupert, is just one of the 25 from the Nipissing University to be honored with a leadership award last month. The University issued the award every year in recognition of outstanding leadership and contribution in any one of the categories campus, academic, and community.
Deverick, 26, hails from Waswanipi, Quebec, and is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Arts with a specialization in social development and welfare. Before this, he was a business major, but decide to switch to his current course.
Deverick also a member of the Biracial, Black, and native Taskforce of the Ontario University’s Athletic organization, which represents more than 9000 athletes in over 20 Universities across Ontario. The mandate of this task force is to champion increased diversity in the sports segment of universities and encourage policy change to stem out racism.
He is also a regular face at the North Bay Friendship Center where he gives motivational talks to the youth.
With the termination of all sporting activities in the past year, he has had time to give schoolwork and the community all his focus, his mother, Mary Ann Ottereyes, said.