The Pinnguaq Association launched a scholarship to help carry on the memory of Danielle Moore, who was an advocate for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) and helped shape the Pinnguaq Association and its Iqaluit Makerspace into what it is today.
On March 10, 2019, Danielle’s life was tragically cut short when flight ET302 crashed in Ethiopia. She was on her way to the United Nations Environmental Assembly taking place in Kenya.
“She was a tireless volunteer, said David Moore, Danielle’s brother who was visiting Iqaluit with their mother Clariss Moore, “whether it was environmental causes out in Nova Scotia, in BC, social justice movements in Manitoba, or honestly everywhere in Canada. Especially towards the end she was teaching kids STEAM education in rural Ontario and of course here in Iqaluit.”
Originally from Toronto, Ont., Danielle kept coming back, even after the Iqaluit Makerspace was established, whenever she had the time.
“She kept being a part of this,” said Ryan Oliver, chief executive officer of Pinnguaq, “the kids got to know her as the girl with robots. We got a chance over Covid with everything that’s happened in the last three years to put together a way to remember her.”
“She had a lot of passions, there was the environment, there was education and there was technology.”
That passion for teaching others extended to those in Iqaluit, said David, saying “I know she walked away from the experience learning so much more. I know just through conversations with her that she felt a full, reciprocal relationship.”
For the Moore family, seeing the Iqaluit Makerspace in person and seeing what Danielle helped create was heartwarming.
“It’s healing for me to see it in person,” said Clariss on seeing the organization and Iqaluit Makerspace her daughter helped establish.
“I never dreamed to be here, Danielle always talked about it when she came back after coming here to the Makerspace.”
The Danielle Moore scholarship covers funding for Nunavummiut who are going into post-secondary, pre-college programs such as Nunavut Sivuniksavut or other types of programs which fall under the STEAM umbrella. It has an initial funding for the next 10 years at $5,000 per year and Pinnguaq hopes to find partners to help carry on the scholarship.
“We’re going to start looking for partners to continue to build that and to continue to represent Danielle’s legacy,” said Oliver.
The Moore family also hopes other partners in Nunavut help contribute to Danielle’s legacy by supporting the scholarship, “because this is what she wants to do even if she finished school, to come back here, wanting to come back and volunteer on her vacation,” said Clariss.
“It’s things like this that plant that seed of hope for us,” added David, “we’ve been watching this scholarship, the talk of it and all the programming to go along with it grow and blossom.”