Page 27 - ECF_Thrive-Sept-2025

irsten Letendre remembers
her proudest fishing moment.
She was six years old, standing
on the banks of Lac Ste. Anne,
wielding a bright pink Barbie
fishing rod. The line tugged, the reel spun,
and suddenly, the lake offered up her first
catch. “It was this plastic toy rod,” she laughs.
“But it worked! I’ve been fishing my whole
life, but that one was special.”
Letendre is a proud seventh-generation
Lac Ste. Anne Métis woman with deep
family roots in the community. Her great-
grandfather was a commercial fisherman,
and her father learned the trade as a boy.
“I grew up just like that — always outside,
camping, fishing, harvesting,” she says. “All
my memories are on the land or the water.”
Even though Métis culture wasn’t
something her family could celebrate
openly due to racism in the region, their
way of life was grounded in traditional
knowledge. Her parents, she says, have
always been her biggest cheerleaders,
encouraging her curiosity and instilling a
love and respect for nature.
Letendre’s love for nature led her to
pursue a Bachelor of Science in biology at
By ANDREW PAUL
Photos PAUL SWANSON
MacEwan University, and financial support from
the Belcourt Brosseau Métis Awards (BBMAs)
made her education possible. But more than
that, the BBMAs transformed her sense of
identity. “Growing up, we didn’t talk openly
about being Métis,” Letendre says. “But going
to the BBMA gala, being wrapped in a sash
by an Elder — it was life-changing. It gave me
permission to be proud.”
The BBMAs were established at Edmonton
Community Foundation in 2001 by Orval
Belcourt, Dr. Herb Belcourt and Georges
Brosseau K.C. Since then, the BBMAs have given
over 3,000 awards to Métis students throughout
Alberta, distributing more than $12 million to
assist with their tuition expenses.
Today, the BBMAs remain one of the largest
non-governmental sources of funding for Métis
learners in Canada.
However, Letendre’s journey wasn’t without
hurdles. In 2019, she fell seriously ill just before
the semester started. Hospitalized twice and
forced to withdraw from classes, she was
terrified to contact the BBMAs. “I finally called
Theresa Majeran with a shaky voice, explaining
what happened and asking if I could defer my
funding,” Letendre says. “And she just said, ‘You
focus on feeling better. If you never give up, you
never lose.’ I’ve had those words on a sticky note
on my computer ever since.”
That break from school proved pivotal. Upon
returning, she ran into a lab tech named Jill
while carrying a bucket of fish guts for parasite
research. Jill suggested she apply to the Alberta
Lake Management Society (ALMS). Letendre
didn’t get the first job — or the second. But she
asked for feedback both times. Then, her future
boss called to offer her a six-month contract
before it was even posted. “That was three years
ago,” she says. “Now I’m a full-time staff member
and I’ve worked on every program at ALMS.”
Letendre works with ALMS, a nonprofit
focused on lake health in Alberta. Acting as
“connective tissue,” ALMS bridges citizens,
government and organizations to monitor water
quality and promote community stewardship.
She is also an approved harvester with
the Otipemisiwak Métis Government within
ecf.ca
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