Sayeau giving back to her culture

A Fanshawe College graduate will receive a provincial award for her work in helping Aboriginal students get a post-secondary education.
“I feel it’s my place to work toward bringing the Aboriginal and non-Native communities at Fanshawe together,” said Belinda Sayeau, who was adopted outside of her Aboriginal culture and grew up in Red Lake.
“I’m the perfect person to do it because I’ve always walked both paths,” she added.
She credits her parents for their role in her achievements.
“They provided me with a stable home life, a loving supportive family and instilled in me a strong sense of service and an entrepreneurial spirit,” she said.
Sayeau will receive the 2010 Colleges Ontario Award for student achievement Nov. 22 at a luncheon ceremony at the Higher Education Summit, an annual conference organized by Colleges Ontario.
Sayeau studied business at Fanshawe while raising her daughter and working part time in the college’s purchasing and accounts payable department. She was active in the college’s First Nations Student Association. 
She now works as a customer service representative at Fanshawe’s First Nations Centre, where she continues her work with Indigenous students.
“Students like Belinda Sayeau make a real difference,” said Howard Rundle, president of Fanshawe College. 
“Belinda’s warm and open personality, clear principles and strong voice had an impact on the lives of many First Nations and non-Native people at the college and beyond.”