As President of the Nursing Undergraduate Society (NUS), Alex Bilodeau has spent the past academic year working with a dedicated team on various initiatives to improve the experience and meet the needs of undergraduate students at the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN). He had never heard of the Scarlet Key Award – until his peers convinced him that he was an eminently worthy candidate and encouraged him to apply. As it turned out, their hunch was correct – Deep Saini, President & Vice-Chancellor, McGill University, presented the award to Alex and several other winners at a special ceremony held at the downtown campus on March 18, 2026.
The Scarlet Key Award recognizes McGill students and recent graduates who have demonstrated strong personal character as well as exceptional leadership and service. Awardees go well beyond what is expected in their roles, showing sustained dedication, perseverance, and a meaningful impact on the McGill community and/or the broader community.
Alex was thrilled that his parents were able to attend the awards ceremony and touched by the presence of Ingram School of Nursing Director Lynne McVey, and Helen Martin, Academic Associate, Clinical Partnership Office, who, as a Scarlet Key recipient, was a member of the selection committee and served as emcee of the evening. “This award recognizes transformative leaders who take the initiative to address pressing needs,” Martin said.
Reflecting on his term as President of the NUS, Alex is proud of the cohesiveness of the executive team and the many projects they worked on together, particularly the establishment of a funding mechanism to top up financial aid for students offered by McGill. Asked what he has learned about his leadership style, Alex replied, “I’m not a micromanager. I see my role as encouraging people to take their ideas even further, to realize that they can do so much more.”
Doing more comes naturally to Alex, who juggled his coursework as a BScN student with part-time work his demanding role as NUS President and part-time work. A trained chef who specialized in French and modern gastronomy, after losing his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to go into nursing and never looked back. “It was the right choice for me,” he said, as he looks forward to working in the Emergency Department at the Montreal General Hospital and sets his sights on a career in emergency measures and crisis management.
Cover photo: Helen Martin, Alex Bilodeau, Lynne McVey.
