On November 9, Centre Director Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, Aki-kwe received an honorary degree from Carleton University in recognition of her “commitment to improving supports for Indigenous Peoples and addressing the needs of children and youth involved in the justice system.”

Aki-kwe received the Doctor of Laws at the university’s Fall Convocation, where she addressed more than 1,300 Carleton students who were also receiving their degrees. She advised the graduates to “stand on the shoulders of the people who have so willingly taught you here, your family and your friends – but go out and make the world a better place,” as she did when she first completed her Bachelor of Arts at the university.

The university’s dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Pauline Rankin also remarked on Aki-kwe’s role as BC’s first Representative for Children and Youth and her involvement in United Nations initiatives “to advance child welfare reform and Indigenous rights.”

Aki-kwe graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Arts before pursuing a law degree from Osgoode Hall, a master’s degree in international law from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate of law from Harvard Law School.

Congratulations Aki-kwe!

View the press release online.