Shelley Gauchier
“Learning Communities helped me and other people stay in a program and complete it! It was amazing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It also felt good to be involved in others’ successes because of the Learning Communities support network and help our network of learners to be confident in what they were doing online. I have strengthened my self-confidence, and upon receiving my certification, I got a job as an early childhood educator in the preschool program in High Prairie. I am so excited!”
— Shelley Gauchier, Learning Communities Learner and Mentor at the Peavine Métis Settlement, Athabasca University
Kyle Daniels
“I never had the means to go to school, so this bursary [from the University of Winnipeg’s Opportunity Fund] has really made the difference by covering my tuition and books. I would like to make a difference in the community working with youth who need help, because I’ve seen lots of need firsthand growing up.”
-Kyle Daniels, student in the University of Winnipeg’s Urban and Inner-City Studies program.
Joe Waskewitch and Destini Gardypie
Joe Waskewitch, of Onion Lake Cree Nation, and Destini Gardypie, of Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation, are in the process of changing their lives. Both are enrolled in the Indian Teacher Education Program offered through the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Education.
After working for 22 years in the area of school maintenance, Joe decided to launch a new career and entered the program where he now majors in Industrial Arts. Destini is a former educational assistant now majoring in Native Studies. The pair acknowledges the support of the ITEP staff throughout their studies. Says Destini: “I truly enjoy the ITEP program. It is definitely a positive challenge and very rewarding.”
Joe Waskewitch and Destini Gardypie, Education students, University of Saskatchewan
Xavier Fischer
“Having the Aboriginal Students’ Centre and the Aboriginal Student Achievement Office are pivotal in the development of the Aboriginal students attending [the University of Saskatchewan]. Academia is sustenance for the soul in a sense that it is a fulfillment for a person who genuinely desires to be learned. Aside from the education, having the Aboriginal Students’ Centre and the Aboriginal Student Achievement Office are pivotal in the development of the Aboriginal students attending here. Having that sense of community is so comforting and appreciated by them because they receive what is needed and wanted, by the tremendous staff facilitating them. They know what it is like to be where we are. They made the path here more easy, just as the others before them made it a bit more inviting.”
Xavier Fischer, Political Studies student, University of Saskatchewan
Andrea Landry
“Turtle Island at the University of Windsor provides a sense of community. The staff provides us with a sense of home and allows us to share our knowledge and experience. Unfortunately, too often the cultural component is missing within the classroom context. Turtle Island acknowledges indigenous students in a way that allows a deeper cultural connection in an unfamiliar environment − an urban setting where Aboriginal students are too few in number. I am so grateful for the family-like connections I have established, for classmates and peers, for the great atmosphere where I meet people that are like my aunties, uncles, and cousins. Turtle Island is the support I need to complete my graduate program. For all the support, I say Miigwetch! (Thank you!).”
Andrea Landry – Candidate, M.A. Social Justice, University of Windsor.
Angel Compton
“My goal is to return to my home community and hopefully, create a community centre for youth.”
Angel Compton, student in the Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies, was awarded a University of Winnipeg Scholarship in honour of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
Deborah Chief
“My MBA degree will enable me to provide strong, reliable leadership for my nation…I attribute the success of our community to the knowledge I’ve gained at Athabasca University and the leadership skills I’ve acquired over the years. It has opened my mind for creative thinking and knowing that anything can be done with the right planning and education. It has opened up the world and the ability to recognize that which is in the best interest of my community… I am grateful for all the support I received along the way. Meeqwetch!”
Deborah Chief, MBA (2010), the first female chief elected in her community, the first woman from the community to earn a master’s degree and the first chief in Manitoba to hold an MBA. Read full story
Gaétan Lefebvre
“When I first got here, I didn’t easily identify with the rest of the student body, but I adapted to the university environment by focusing my work, whenever possible, on aboriginal issues. I strived to promote my culture and my identity through my research as well as in my student life. In 2010, I took a course on the history of the First Nations in Quebec and in Canada and I met people who were interested in Native issues. The following year, I founded a student association called L’Amicale Autochtone de l’UQO to build bridges between the different cultures represented at UQO. The AA-UQO was created to reach aboriginals, Métis, Inuit, and Indigenous people from South America and around the globe. Aboriginals include not only members of the 11 First Nations in Quebec, but also indigenous peoples throughout the world.
On March 26, 2012, AA-UQO held UQO’s first-ever Aboriginal History Day. It was also the first day of the general student strike. We went ahead with the event anyway, and it turned out to be a real success, with more than 50 people talking part. We also officially announced the appointment of the Canada Research Chair in aboriginal land governance. I’d like to thank the UQO for providing me with a forum where I could exercise constructive leadership and actively participate in student life. I hope that, by doing so, I will have left an indelible mark on the school’s history and that I will have given future generations of aboriginal students an association that understands their culture and promotes communication between the various indigenous student populations at UQO.”
Gaétan Lefebvre, undergraduate student in the faculty of Business Administration at Université du Québec en Outaouais
Alexandre Nahdee
“The courses in the Aboriginal Visual Culture Minor totally and dramatically changed my life. … As if one layer of the fog seemed to clear and I started to see things and understand things in a way I should have been seeing them all along. Having the knowledge helped me see and realize what it means to be able to make art that has a purpose.
You always hear about yourself and your heritage as distant and removed, looked at through an impersonal academic lens, detached from your self. The program brought my ancestors back to me and made a real connection. It seemed like the torn fabric was brought back together again. It mended the blanket.”
— Alexandre Nahdee, fourth-year Drawing & Painting student taking OCAD University’s Aboriginal Visual Culture Minor.
Tanis Worme
“The underrepresentation of Aboriginal people in public health and natural sciences has ignited my passion for studying in this field. I came to the University of Saskatchewan out of convenience, but I am glad I did. This university offers Aboriginal-specific support… In that vein, one of my fondest memories at the U of S was celebrating Aboriginal Achievement Week with my fellow students. I am currently the Vice-President of Finance and Operations for the Indigenous Students’ Council (ISC). My participation with the ISC also includes my involvement with the council’s sub-committees such as culture, social and financial.”
Tanis Worme, Biology student, University of Saskatchewan
Lisa Monchalin
“Hand drumming allowed me to express who I am with pride. I wanted to share my positive experience with others. Through the creation of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Aboriginal Hand Drum Circle, I witnessed the positive impacts this circle has had on students. It has provided a safe place for sharing and connecting. It has also helped some students build confidence and a proud sense of identity.”
– Lisa Monchalin, Criminology instructor, Kwantlen Polytechnic University. First Aboriginal woman in Canada to earn a PhD in Criminology.
Rachel Etapp
“In 2010, my husband and I decided that the time was right for me to go back to school and get my bachelor’s degree. UQAT offered a variety of certificates in Management, and three certificates can earn you a bachelor’s degree. The university is situated in Val-d’Or, a city that is centrally located for the various Cree communities. There are a number of extracurricular activities available for children, including hockey, music and more. It was important for us to make the transition as smooth as possible for every member of our family, and we managed to do just that!”
Rachel Etapp, Management student and member of the Cree tribe, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
Jessica Humchitt
“Having an environment that’s supportive and encouraging is really key. I don’t think I would have ever been able to do this year if I didn’t do [Simon Fraser University’s Continuing Studies eight-month Aboriginal pre-health bridging program]. It’s just such a different world.”
Jessica Humchitt, second year student in health science at Simon Fraser University
Donna Lester-Smith
“My graduate work has given me a sense of belonging and an understanding of the role I can play as a leader, mentor and representative of my community. The support and encouragement I got through this program allowed me to move forward as an academic and contributor to this field.”
Donna Lester-Smith, PhD in education, University of British Columbia. Her research focused on healing the wounds of family violence with Indigenous traditional holistic practices.
Yvonne Poitras Pratt
“Having a place like the Native Centre on campus was not only vital but pivotal to my success. It represented a place where I could ground and reaffirm myself as an Aboriginal, and my journey would not have been as rich without it”
Yvonne Poitras Pratt, PhD in communication studies, University of Calgary
Mr. Frankie Cote
“To sum up my education experience, I draw upon a teaching of the Anishinabeg, ‘look to your sons and daughters, for they are your future.’ My family knows that I have done this for them, for education is the passport to the future, and education is the bootstrap First Nations communities must use to improve their social and economic conditions. Thus, I say I have done this for my children, so they can have a brighter future.”
Frankie Cote, an Anishinabeg from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg of the Algonquin Nation. 2012 graduate from Common Law, University of Ottawa
Jenna Marr
“Volunteering at the diversity centre is really important to me because I’d like to see our Aboriginal culture become more prominent on campus. I’d also like to help promote the opportunities available at the Centre. ”
Jenna Marr, first-year student in public relations, Mount Saint Vincent University
