Iakoiehwahtha Patton: The Jessie Macpherson Memorial Scholarship
Third-year student, Iakoiehwahtha Patton, has been awarded The Jessie Macpherson Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is for a female student who has completed second year with high overall A standing and who is enrolled in a specialist or major program in philosophy, fine art history or music. “I’m so grateful to receive this scholarship. I feel it recognizes the tremendous amount of effort that I put into my studies, and not necessarily to receive an A grade, but because I am passionate about my programs. This award will allow me financial flexibility this year to continue pursuing my interests without worrying too much about debt and bills.” Patton is pursuing a double major in art history and anthropology, and a minor in Renaissance studies. She is the proud president of the History of Art Students' Association. She hopes to study art history at the graduate level and has a long-term goal of working in a museum in Europe.
Patton is from Kahnawake, Quebec—a First Nations Mohawk reserve just outside Montreal. She did not go home during COVID but rather put her nose to the grindstone in her one-bedroom apartment in downtown Toronto. “School kept me on track. I really threw myself into my studies. It helped that some of my courses really excited me. I especially enjoyed my VIC240 Netherlandish Art course with Professor Kavaler. He is so invested in the topic and he really loves his work.”
Before all the COVID shut downs, Patton had started volunteering at U of T’s First Nations House. Once things open up fully again, she looks forward to helping out the house as a way to give back to her community. This is something she did this past year working with Reid Locklin at St. Michael’s College to develop the resource site “Treaty Learning.” The site aims to help educators incorporate an understanding of Canada’s history with Indigenous peoples into the classroom. “This will be my second year working on the site. I have written about land, medical racism and residential/day schools. The site also works to introduce more Indigenous scholars to the community. I am proud of this work.”