For the fifth year in a row, friends, family and members of the University of Regina community recognized the outstanding achievements of four Indigenous student leaders at the 2026 RBC Neekaneewak Leadership Initiative Awards on campus.
"This year's four Indigenous student leaders demonstrate determination, creativity, resilience, and a dedication to community service that will be felt for generations to come," says John Bird, manager of the ta-tawâw Student Centre at the U of R. "Thank you, Zoe, Dakota, Paige, and Cherish, for the dedicated leadership you provide across our campus. We are deeply grateful to RBC for their generous support of the Neekaneewak Leadership Initiative Awards, without whom we would not be able to further support and uplift the lives of our students."
The Neekaneewak (they are leading) Leadership Initiative is a program run by the ta-tawâw Student Centre at the U of R. The Initiative enhances cultural awareness and develops leadership skills in student participants through traditional and current ways of knowing. The awards recognize Indigenous students who have demonstrated leadership in their academic, personal, and professional lives, and through community pursuits.
I want to thank RBC for this leadership award. It means so much to me that my hard work has been recognized and will help me going forward in the future. Zoe Icton, Red Pheasant Cree Nation, Cultural Leadership
"Solving the challenges we face requires bringing together diverse knowledge systems including the time-tested wisdom embedded in Indigenous teachings and ways of knowing that have sustained communities for generations," says Jim Grundy, Senior Branch Manager, RBC Dominion Securities. "Today, we celebrate four exceptional wayfinders and change-makers. Their leadership creates ripples that strengthen our communities now and will guide those who follow. On behalf of RBC, we are honoured to walk alongside them."
The four 2026 recipients are powerful examples of student leadership in action and represent the growing Indigenous student strength in community, academic, professional, and cultural leadership.
