Morinville Graduate Receives Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence

By Haylee Winger
For many in Morinville and Sturgeon County, Lilyah Richardson is a familiar face through
sports, volunteering and community involvement. Now, the 23-year-old is being recognized for
another accomplishment after graduating at the top of her class from MacEwan University’s
Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.
Richardson was awarded the Faculty of Nursing’s Dean’s Medal for Academic Excellence during
the university’s Spring 2026 convocation. The medal recognizes the graduating student with the
highest academic standing in the Faculty of Nursing, placing Richardson first among a
graduating class of nearly 300 students.
The honour came as a surprise, even though she knew it was a possibility.
During her studies, Richardson had received a scholarship awarded to the Bachelor of Science in
Nursing student with the highest grade point average entering fourth year. While researching that
scholarship with her mother, she first learned about the Dean’s Medal. Still, she deliberately
avoided putting pressure on herself to earn it.
Instead, she focused on doing her best throughout her final year.
“I remember seeing the email show up on my phone with the subject ‘IMPORTANT UPDATE –
Convocation’ and thinking to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, is this it?'” Richardson said. “When I read the
line that said I had been chosen to receive the Dean’s Medal, I was simply stunned.”
The news didn’t fully sink in until later that day.
“I think I was actually in shock because all I did was take a screenshot of the email, sent it to my
parents and went on with my shift,” she said. “After my shift I called my mom and it finally set
in. When I said it out loud, I was filled with so much gratitude and pride.”
For Richardson, the award represents much more than academic success.
“This recognition means the world to me,” she said. “While it reflects the hard work, dedication
and perseverance that went into completing my degree, it also represents the support and
encouragement I received throughout my time at MacEwan.”
Richardson said she chose nursing because it combined her desire to care for others with a
profession that is constantly evolving.

“Nursing truly felt like a calling for me,” she said. “Healthcare is always evolving, and nurses
must continually adapt to new research, technologies and approaches to care. I love that nursing
offers endless opportunities to learn, grow and challenge myself.”
Although she graduated with the highest academic standing, Richardson said her biggest obstacle
wasn’t coursework—it was learning to overcome self-doubt.
“Nursing school is demanding academically, clinically and emotionally,” she said. “I often
questioned whether I was good enough.”
With encouragement from professors and clinical instructors, she learned to trust the work she
had put in, ask for help when needed and accept that her best effort was enough.
Growing up in Morinville and Sturgeon County helped shape that mindset.
Richardson credits her parents, teachers, coaches, local business owners, farmers and other
community members for teaching her the value of hard work, perseverance and humility. She
said playing community sports also reinforced the importance of commitment, teamwork and
supporting one another through both successful and challenging seasons.
Those values carried into her volunteer work.
Over the years, Richardson has mentored first-year nursing students at MacEwan University,
coached cheerleading at the gym where she grew up, served on the Sturgeon County Youth
Advisory Committee and received the Dale MacMillan Memorial Scholarship for Community
Leadership.
“The value of community service was instilled in me from a very young age through Girl Guides
of Canada,” Richardson said. “I’ve learned that even small actions can have a lasting impact, and
I find great fulfillment in contributing to something larger than myself.”
Richardson said her parents have been the greatest influence throughout her academic and
personal life.
“They have always supported me in whatever I chose to pursue and never placed any pressure on
me,” she said. “Whenever I doubted myself, they reminded me of how hard I had worked and
what I was capable of achieving.”
She is now preparing to write the NCLEX licensing exam before beginning her career as a
registered nurse. Her goal is to work in an emergency department, an area of nursing that sparked
her interest during clinical placements. In time, she also hopes to continue her education, with
possibilities including graduate studies and other advanced nursing roles.
Looking back, Richardson says receiving the Dean’s Medal is the accomplishment she is most
proud of because it reflects not only four years of academic effort, but also the people who
helped her reach the milestone.

She also hopes her achievement sends a message to other young people growing up in smaller
communities.
“Don’t underestimate yourself because of where you’re from,” Richardson said. “Coming from a
small community can sometimes make you question whether you belong in bigger academic or
professional spaces, but you absolutely do. The work ethic, resilience and values you develop in
a community like Morinville and Sturgeon County are strengths that will help you achieve your
goals.”
For Richardson, the Dean’s Medal is more than a personal achievement. It is proof that students
from small communities can pursue ambitious goals while staying connected to the people and
places that helped shape them.