11/20/2025
The Social Welfare and Social Development Department would like to congratulate our student Atlas Gifford for winning one of the 2025 Dave Marshall Leadership Awards!
This is no small feat!
“Atlas Gifford is an exceptionally conscientious student, a critical thinker, and a devoted learner. As a student in the Social Welfare & Social Development program, Atlas has produced insightful analyses on topics such as Indigenous conceptualizations of self-government in relation to the land, the role of non-violence in Indigenous struggles, and meeting the diverse health needs of the q***r community. These analyses have been skillfully presented both in well-written academic assignments and through eloquent public speeches.
Beyond the classroom, Atlas excels as a community organizer. Especially impactful for Atlas was their key role in organizing the recent Aanjibimaadisiwin Symposium, an intellectually significant event addressing Indigenous approaches to gender-based violence and healing.
Atlas also organized an art exhibition that toured North Bay, Temagami, and Toronto, featuring works from the Q***r Up North residency initiative. Additionally, they founded and managed a print and digital magazine created by and for non-binary individuals. This initiative included a successful Kickstarter campaign and produced five print issues distributed to over 15 countries.
Atlas advises new Lakers to take charge of their own educational experience. Go into your courses and your experiences with a goal of what you want to get out of it, and it will drastically improve your academic experience. Consistency, listening, and showing up are key to success.
Atlas plans to pursue their Master of Environmental Studies at Nipissing. They hope to continue to use primary research and arts-based practices to explore their interests. Atlas’ goal is to work in the non-profit sector, and they aspire to teach at the college/university level.
Nipissing University proudly recognizes Atlas with a Dave Marshall Leadership Award in the Academic category.”
Source:
The Dave Marshall Leadership Awards recognize 25 full-time students who have made outstanding extracurricular contributions to their academic program, campus, or community. They have demonstrated leadership, initiative, commitment, and an ability to motivate and influence others toward the bettermen...
