Claudette Michell passed away on October 5, 2012. She was a member of the Barrenlands First Nation. She was a single parent of four children and two grandchildren. After completing high school as an adult learner, she earned an Honours B.A. in Aboriginal Governance at the University of Winnipeg. At the time of her death she worked in the Department of Inner-City Studies at the University of Winnipeg, where she was Program Coordinator. She was the 2012 recipient of the University of Winnipeg’s Marsha Hanen Award for Excellence in Creating Community Awareness. This prestigious award was presented posthumously to her mother and her eldest son at the October 21,2012 University of Winnipeg Convocation.