Lexia Piccolo’s commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices and supporting mental health has earned her the 2025 VandenHoek Schlachter Pride Award.

A graduate student in the University of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Education, Piccolo’s background in advocacy work has centred on 2SLGBTQ+ youth in her home province of Quebec. 

“It’s an incredible honour; it means so much,” Piccolo says. “Receiving the news was so affirming; it just made me feel proud that all the work I’ve done is making a difference. It also motivates me even more to keep building inclusive pathways for people who have been pushed to the margins for so long.”

In what she calls one of her most impactful professional experiences, Piccolo worked as a public consultation coordinator with Youth for Youth Quebec. There, she designed and executed a town hall-style opportunity f…