Judy Pelly is a 2024 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
As the highest honour presented by the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Association, this award recognizes an alumnus/alumna for an outstanding lifetime of personal and professional accomplishments and contributions to the social, cultural, and economic well-being of society in their field(s) of endeavor.
Lifelong educator Makate Pinasek (Judy Pelly, BEd’85) has inspired people around the world through her contributions to a legacy of learning and Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Highly respected as a force for positive change, Pelly’s tireless work in the community creates a ripple effect among the people she meets. In her retirement, she is dedicated to working with more than 30 organizations to provide cultural guidance on Truth and Reconciliation.
Pelly helped make national change in 2020 when her great-niece, Isabella Kulak, was shamed for wearing a ribbon skirt to a formal dress day at her elementary school. After hearing about this experience, Pelly shared Isabella’s story on social media in a way that invited change and community participation, turning a negative experience into a call to action that garnered global support. As a result of the advocacy of Pelly, Isabella, and their family members, the National Ribbon Skirt Day bill was passed in Canada in 2022. Held each year, on January 4, National Ribbon Skirt Day provides an opportunity for people across the country to recognize, learn about, and celebrate the importance of Indigenous traditions and expressions of culture.
A proud Anishinaabe – Saulteaux woman and a residential school survivor, Pelly was one of the first students to enroll in the Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) at USask when it began in 1973. She completed her teaching certificate at that time and later returned to the College of Education to complete her Bachelor of Education degree in 1985. Pelly credits ITEP with opening many doors for her in leadership capacities. Throughout her career, she has held management positions in Alberta and Saskatchewan, retiring in 2015 from the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) as dean of community and health studies after 21 years of service.
Today, Pelly continues her role as an educator by championing the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action through a compassionate approach to teaching and through her dedication to working with community partners. Pelly’s service to USask includes participating on the Indigenous Advisory Committee to Dr. Holly Graham (PhD), Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing. Pelly also supports the First Nations University of Canada as Cultural Advisor and Knowledge Keeper at the Saskatoon campus and greatly values her outreach work with the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Mental Health and Addiction Services. She lives her life through the Seven Sacred Teachings (Love, Respect, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom, Humility, Truth) and she encourages the organizations and the people she works with to do the same. She firmly believes that if all Indigenous and non-Indigenous people live by these teachings, the world will be a better place.
Congratulations!
