37 Outaouais residents received the Medals of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec

Jude Osmond

Outaouais strikes gold, with 37 residents receiving the Medals of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, presented to citizens from all regions of Quebec who have shown determination, commitment, and selflessness, and who have had a positive impact on their region and influence within it.

The award ceremony took place on Saturday, May 30, at the University of Quebec, Outaouais, with the lieutenant governor, Manon Jeanotte, absent from the presentation. She was represented by Marie-Josée Latendresse, the Superintendent at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who delivered the medals to the medal representatives.

"Your commitment enriches the Outaouais and illustrates the collective strength we are building, one action at a time," said the Honourable Manon Jeannotte.

To be considered for a medal, someone else must apply on that person's behalf, from a second perspective, for the good that person has done for the community.

There are five different Governor medals: the Youth Medal, the Elderly Medal, the Medal for Outstanding Merit, the First Nation Medal, and the Inuit Medal.

Only two types of medals were given out on Saturday, which were 10 elderly medals and 27 youth medals, including three Université de Québec Outaouais students: Allyson Bastien, doctoral student in psychology – research track, Mili-Alexandre Chevalier, a student in the Bachelor of Education program and Marilou Tanguay, Master's student in specialized nursing (NP in pediatric care).

Allyson Bastien, a winner of the youth medal, told the Bulletin that she is very involved in various events within her university life and is a part of multiple committees, including the Quebec Society of Psychological Research, and has volunteered extensively for different organizations, including Jeunesse, J'écoute/Kids Help Phone, and more, to help people and give back to the community. ‘’ I am very involved in the academic life and in research both at the university and in my research group.’’ Said Bastien.

‘’I don’t feel more special than others, I have the impression that there is a bunch of people who are super deserving,’’ Bastien said.

Another winner was Sammy Jamoul, the President of the Student Association at Heritage College. Sammy has been enhancing the heritage community since he stepped into the school by setting up activities and events to bring the heritage community closer together. He mentioned that this award is motivation for his future works, ‘’ Awards like these are perfect motivators for future work because I can always look back and think people believed my work was worth an award.’’ He spoke.

‘’ It was very special when I found out, since I've been implicating myself in communities for a long time, and it feels good to get recognized for that. I felt appreciated by Heritage, and it made all the work I did feel worth the time.’’ Jamoul said.