The Indigenous Tuition Award in Law is helping reduce financial barriers for Indigenous students pursuing a legal education at Queen’s Law. Available as an admission scholarship, the award reflects the school’s commitment to making legal education more accessible to Indigenous Peoples and increasing Indigenous representation in the legal profession.

Established through a visionary gift from Don Travers, Law’72, and expanded with funding from The Law Foundation of Ontario, the renewable award will fully cover tuition for two students who entered the JD program this academic year and two more students entering in fall 2027.

“I am extremely honoured to receive the Indigenous Tuition Award in Law,” says Tristan Dainard, Law’29, one of the first recipients. “I am also extremely thankful to Don Travers for making this opportunity possible. I am focused on making the most of my opportunity at Queen’s Law through my studies and the many ways to get involved beyond the classroom.”  

For Travers, the demands students already face in law school were a key motivation for establishing the award.

“I was inspired to fund full tuition for two Indigenous students because I understand how demanding and stressful law school already is,” he says. “Carrying the weight of financial pressure can make that journey even harder, and I wanted to help ensure that at least two students could focus fully on their studies and their wellbeing.”

Travers also sees the award as an opportunity to contribute to reconciliation and help strengthen Indigenous representation within the legal profession.

“My hope was to play even a small part in the broader process of reconciliation, supporting opportunity, reducing barriers, and contributing in a meaningful way to the future of Indigenous legal voices,” he says.

Founder of Travers Law, a high-volume real estate, wills and estates, and business law practice with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and Milton, Ont., Travers says his support also reflects his belief in the importance of bringing different perspectives to the legal profession.

“Ensuring that all voices can be heard, especially those historically marginalized, is essential not only in the legal profession but in every career and life path,” he says. “My support is grounded in the conviction that inclusion and representation are key to meaningful progress.” 

The Law Foundation of Ontario’s subsequent contribution will extend the impact of the award to two additional Indigenous law students beginning in fall 2027.

“We’re pleased to contribute to Queen’s Law’s Indigenous Tuition Award, and to the futures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students,” says Lisa Cirillo, CEO of The Law Foundation of Ontario. “Our investment furthers our statutory object to support legal education and our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. It also responds to a real need, and its impact ripples outward. Greater representation brings greater respect and understanding. The participation of more Indigenous students instills more Indigenous knowledge, legal traditions, and lived experiences into legal education, the legal professions, and, very importantly, into the legal services that people rely on.”

The Indigenous Tuition Award in Law is awarded on admission based on academic achievement and a demonstrated commitment to one or more Indigenous communities. Other relevant factors may include an interest in Kingston and/or the lands, waters and communities in the surrounding region.

Preference is given to applicants from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte and Alderville First Nation, as well as other Indigenous communities whose treaty and/or traditional territories include Kingston or the surrounding region.  

Indigenous applicants to the JD program are considered for the award when offers of admission are made. The award is renewable for two subsequent years, provided recipients maintain a satisfactory academic average and remain enrolled in full-time studies.

“I look forward to seeing more Indigenous students in years to come have the chance to receive a legal education at Queen’s University thanks to this life-changing scholarship,” says Dainard, “and I look forward to giving back to my community when I graduate.”

Learn more about applying to Queen’s Law’s JD program, including the admission category for Indigenous Peoples, on the JD admissions webpage.

The deadline for applications is November 1, 2026, for admission in the 2027–28 academic year.  

To learn more about the Indigenous Tuition Award in Law or opportunities to support Indigenous students at Queen’s Law, contact the Queen’s Law Advancement Team at lawalum@queensu.ca.

By Lisa Graham