Centre Victoria pour femmes presents the #JeMérite 2025 Scholarship Recipient

The winner of the 2025 #JeMérite scholarship is Emily Messier.

Until last April, Emily held the position of Coordinator at the Women’s Centre on the Laurentian University campus, where she helped create a safe and inclusive space for female students. In collaboration with the coordinator for sexual violence support at the university, she worked to amplify women’s voices and organize impactful initiatives, while inspiring her peers to promote gender equality. Starting in September, Emily will continue her commitment as a research assistant in psychology. She also intends to keep contributing to the Women’s Centre.

Emily has faced various challenges in the past and continues to overcome obstacles daily. She lived in Tracadie-Sheila, a Francophone village in northeastern New Brunswick, before moving to Regina, Saskatchewan, a predominantly Anglophone city. It was a challenge for her to understand how to integrate these two cultures into her life. Despite these major changes, Emily continued to pursue her education in French and maintained her Francophone identity. She studies in Sudbury at a bilingual, tri-cultural school where she found a real sense of belonging through strong connections with bilingual friends and professors.

During her studies, Emily unfortunately suffered a head injury during a volleyball match, which resulted in a concussion that greatly affected her. Even after medical intervention, it took several months before the intense chronic symptoms, such as nausea and dizziness. Things are beginning to improve enough for her to continue her studies with appropriate accommodations and the support of her professors.

Although Emily’s cognitive limitations impact her studies, she is a resilient woman. Emily remains optimistic, persevering, and confident that things will continue to improve.

We congratulate Emily and wish her great success in her studies!