VIU Alum Makes an Impact Through Endowment Awards

Thanks to generous support from community, three annual awards will be given out to VIU students in the name of Micah Messent, who passed away in a plane crash in March 2019.

Every year, three Indigenous students will have their financial burdens eased a little in the name of Micah Messent, a Vancouver Island University (VIU) graduate who lost his life in a tragic crash two years ago.

Messent, who graduated from Georges P. Vanier School in Courtenay in 2013 and VIU in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies, was on his way to the United Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 10, 2019, when the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 plane he was on crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all passengers aboard. He was 23 years old.

Following his death, friends and family established an endowment fund through the VIU Foundation to support future students and ensure his name and memory live on. Donations continue to come into the fund, which has grown from supporting one annual award per year to three. The endowment will also support an annual event for Indigenous learners at VIU that will encourage them to follow their dreams.  

“The ability of this fund to support future students on their paths to success gives our family a level of comfort to know that Micah will continue to inspire others and make a difference for generations to come,” says Suzanne Camp, Messent’s mother. “In life, Micah had looked to the future and talked about the time when he would be able to support other students in reaching their educational goals. The yearly awards will honour his memory and intentions even as we continue to grieve his death.”

After graduating from VIU, Messent, who has Métis heritage on his mother’s side, worked for BC Parks’ Aboriginal Youth Internship Program, travelling to various parks across the province to lead cultural awareness workshops for BC Parks employees. He planned to return to school to pursue a degree in Indigenous law. Camp says it was important to him that people knew the history and treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada – history he learned more fully while at VIU.

“As well, the friends he made, the Indigenous connections and the feeling of community at VIU supported his experience and added to the success he achieved upon graduation,” remembers Camp. 

The three awards honour two of Messent’s passions – education and the environment. The Micah Messent Memorial Geography Award, the Micah Messent Memorial Indigenous Award and Micah Messent Memorial Environment Award will be available annually to Indigenous students attending VIU, with various criteria attached to each one.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Jenn McGarrigle, External Communications Advisor, Vancouver Island University

C: 250.619.6860 | E: Jenn.McGarrigle@viu.ca | T: @VIUNews