Indigenous

It started with a plate of bannock

Award-winning student advisor Bailey Pigeau is passing on the care she once found at Migizii Agamik

Bailey Pigeau smiles at an outdoor information table during 2025 Indigenous Orietation.
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
Bailey Pigeau, Indigenous student advisor and recipient of the 2026 Wendy McLean Advising Excellence Award.
Bailey Pigeau, Indigenous student advisor and recipient of the 2026 Wendy McLean Advising Excellence Award.
Estimated Read Time:
3 minutes
By

Sue Wang

Bailey Pigeau still remembers the tray of bannock.

She was in her fourth year, the first time she walked into Migizii Agamik – Bald Eagle Lodge, home to UM’s Indigenous Student Centre (ISC). She was studying for an exam in the student lounge when student advisor Denise Proulx came by with a tray of bannock.

“Are you hungry?”

“I was like, oh my gosh, yes, thank you,” Pigeau recalls. “It was in that moment I realized the care given to students here was different from anything I'd seen anywhere else.”

She’d always known she wanted to help people, just not where. The encounter left her with a question: what if she worked here too? Years later, she did, joining the same team that had once welcomed her.

Pigeau is now the recipient of the 2026 Wendy McLean Advising Excellence Award, which recognizes UM advisors for their impact on students, teamwork and creative programming. The email letting her know she was being recognized arrived between appointments; she’d just said goodbye to one student, with another already waiting.

“I felt honoured, and I felt like the work I've been doing is making an impact,” she says. “But this isn't a one-person thing. Supporting students is a whole team effort.”

We spoke with Pigeau about how students can connect with ISC and the support and community they’ll find there.

wo photos of Bailey Pigeau: holding a Métis graduation sign with a man and taking a selfie at a Qualico Bridge to Success event.
Bailey Pigeau stands behind a Neechiwaken Indigenous Peer Mentor Program display.
1. Bailey Pigeau stands with another person wrapped in a colourful quilt outdoors.
From left: Bailey Pigeau with her father at her UM graduation; during her early days working at UM; supporting the Neechiwaken Indigenous Peer Mentor Program this year; and with fourth-year Indigenous student Safron Blais.
Q: How would you introduce yourself, and what can students talk to you about?

I’m Bailey Pigeau. I’m Métis on my dad's side with ties to St. Vital, St. Boniface and Grand Rapids, and I'm related to the Lamirande and Mercredi families. My mom's side is Scottish settler. I started at UM in 2015 as the first person in my immediate family to attend university.

As a student advisor, I hope students see me as that cousin in the community they can come to with questions. I remember how overwhelming it was when I started, and how much there was to learn.

Students can come to me about anything. It might be choosing courses, struggling to understand a textbook, falling behind in class or having trouble paying bills. We can talk through what’s going on and make a plan together. If I don’t have the answer, I’ll help them find someone who does.

As a student advisor, I hope students see me as that cousin in the community they can come to with questions.

Bailey Pigeau

Q: How do programs at the Indigenous Student Centre help new students find community?

There are actually a lot of programs across UM that support new Indigenous students. At ISC specifically, I've coordinated two of them: Qualico Bridge to Success (QBTS) and the Neechiwaken Indigenous Peer Mentor Program. Going forward, I'll be focusing on Neechiwaken, since it's been growing and drawing in more participants every year.

QBTS helps students transition into their first year — some like checking in over tea, others find workshops on study planning or exam prep more helpful, and we partner with Career Services to help students explore what's next.

Last year, one group came to nearly every workshop. At first everyone was a little shy; by the end, I didn't have to start the conversations anymore. Watching those relationships build was wonderful.

Neechiwaken connects new students with more experienced ones, one-on-one and through group activities like a trip to the corn maze — a chance to set schoolwork aside and just be part of a community. Some former mentees come back as mentors, because they got the support they needed and want to pass it on.

Q: What does receiving this award mean to you?

It tells me the work I'm doing is making a difference. But I think about the whole team, and about the students I've come to know. This year, I watched a group of students I met four years ago graduate. Seeing them make it through that whole journey means a lot to me. 

I’m also grateful to Meghan Young-Boucher, Eli Bird and Carla Loewen for nominating me.

Q: What would you say to a student who hasn't come to ISC yet?

I didn't step foot in Migizii Agamik until my fourth year, so I understand why some students feel nervous. I want them to remember: we’re here for you. You don't have to carry a hard time on your own. If you have a question, come ask us — even if we don't have the answer, we'll help you find someone who does.

You don't have to carry a hard time on your own. We’re here for you.

Bailey Pigeau

New to UM?
Find support and community at the Indigenous Student Centre

Connect with an ISC student advisor, explore Qualico Bridge to Success , or learn about the Neechiwaken Indigenous Peer Mentor Program .

Not sure where to start? Email isc@umanitoba.ca or call 204-474-8850.

Four students walk together outside Migizii Agamik – Bald Eagle Lodge.

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