Prince George, B.C. – With a voice rooted in the strength of his ancestors and a vision shaped by global experiences, Sean Robinson represents the kind of future leader UNBC strives to inspire – one ready to lead meaningful change.

Sean – Yagabax̱ to his Nisg̱a'a family – is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in History and, in many ways, his journey reflects the University’s mission to serve the North, to connect communities and to embrace a diversity of worldviews. 

The son of a Métis mother and Nisg̱a'a father, and a proud member of the Nisg̱a'a Nation, Sean says, “UNBC was a place for the people in my family.” 

His parents Andrew and Dr. Rheanna Robinson both earned their graduate degrees at the University. Today, his mother serves as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Indigenous Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities.

“UNBC’s connection to the region, its communities, to the Indigenous Peoples living here and its ability to draw people from around the world to share in this connection – that’s what makes it such a special place to study,” Sean says. “Being from this part of the earth is a big part of my identity, and I didn’t have to move away to get my education.”

This sense of belonging has propelled the Class of 2025 Valedictorian through an extraordinary undergraduate journey – one that highlights his intellectual curiosity, leadership and fierce dedication to inclusion.

Sean is the undergraduate recipient of this year’s Pounamu Taonga Award, an honour that will be bestowed at the First Nations Centre graduation ceremony on May 29 in recognition of his academic achievement and community service. He is also set to receive the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for Inclusion, Democracy and Reconciliation during UNBC’s Convocation on May 30.

Sean exemplifies the values at the heart of these honours. A community builder both locally and globally.

As a leader in the UNBC History Club, Sean reinvigorated student engagement in the post-pandemic era, organizing inclusive events that created space for connection, learning and community. His illustrations in a children’s book project through the Health Arts Research Centre housed at UNBC explored disability in Indigenous communities, bringing art and storytelling together to foster understanding. Sean has also been active in the Prince George cultural scene from a young age, singing at a number of venues throughout the city and performing public readings from his works of fiction at the Omineca Arts Centre.

His contributions to democracy have truly spanned the globe, as he sought to embrace every opportunity for academic enrichment.

His studies have taken him to 11 countries over two years – opportunities to not only learn, but to share knowledge and raise visibility and awareness about Canada’s Indigenous Peoples. Whether sharing Nisg̱a'a history in Spanish with international classmates, representing UNBC at Model NATO in Germany, researching in Mexico City or encouraging other students to experience the world through UNBC’s Travelling Knowledges program, Sean builds bridges of understanding across borders.

“From a young age, my family taught me that genuine learning comes from being open to different ideas and worldviews,” Sean says. “That’s what I’ve tried to do through my learning, my writing and my travels – emphasize connecting myself, my university and my home community to others.”

Sean’s scholarly efforts have earned national recognition. In 2023, he won the Canadian Society of Patristic Studies’ national Student Essay Prize. He has also published short fiction highlighting life in Indigenous communities in northern B.C., with works appearing in the literary journal Thimbleberry and, in collaboration with First Nations Studies Master of Arts graduate Helen Knott, in the Ontario-based The New Quarterly.

In his scholarship, Sean wrote an undergraduate honours thesis on local communities, religion and festival traditions in early 20th-century Spain with supervisor History Professor Dr. Jacqueline Holler, Chair of UNBC’s Department of Global and International Studies. He also worked with English Professor and University Research Chair Dr. Kevin Hutchings on an independent study focusing on 19th-century Indigenous Canadian literature and religion. 

Sean’s recent academic work has focused on demonstrating Indigenous historical agency and intellectualism through Canadian and American literature – this work will form the basis of his upcoming thesis project as he begins a Master of Arts program at the University of Victoria in the fall.

As the grandson of Residential School and Sixties Scoop Survivors, Sean sees his work as a form of justice.

“My great-grandmother Marion always wanted one of her children to stand on a stage and speak in front of people. I hope that I have found an appropriate stage – through my scholarship – on which to fulfill her dream,” he says. “In my historical work, I am trying to tell true stories – that means not only unearthing what we do not know but also dispelling myths. There is no greater myth in the history of Indigenous Peoples than the idea they were passive subjects of colonization. I like to think my work, both on Indigenous history and history more broadly, is about showing that individual human beings were, are and will be the authors of their own stories.”

As he prepares to deliver the valedictory address to his classmates during Ceremony 1 of Convocation, Sean plans to, once again, draw on teachings from his family.

“I’ve been told that the responsibility of a scholar is to do more than find answers, it’s to ask difficult questions, to put yourself in uncomfortable situations where your ideas and expectations are challenged,” he shares.

“We are at a moment in history where people often struggle to be in a room with others who hold different beliefs, but we must ask hard questions and challenge ourselves. UNBC’s motto, ‘En Cha Huná, reminds us to respect all forms of life. You don’t have to agree with every perspective – but you have to be open to hearing them. That’s how we – as humans and as a society – grow.”