I come from a traditional Métis family who were heavily involved in the fur trade in the early 1800’s. My grandfathers were consultants to the Red River Provisional Government and to Louis Riel. They worked to protect Métis land and cultural rights in the north of Saskatchewan, and they took part in what most Canadians know as the Louis Riel’s rebellion – but what we refer to as the Northwest Resistance of 1885.

Post-1885, my family encountered oppression, barriers and abuse. Both my grandmother, mother and many other family members attended church, day schools and residential schools in the north of Saskatchewan. Neither my grandmother or mother continued their education past the elementary level. I may have had a low-income upbringing, but I was raised with the teachings of our elders and had a close connection to our family’s culture, traditions, and spirituality. That guidance was a real gift – especially because you just didn't talk about being Métis in Saskatchewan back in the 80s and 90s. Even today, it remains contentious to talk about the Northwest resistance, and there is still a lot of discrimination against the Métis in the north of Saskatchewan, a reality which has influenced my lived experience and my personal story.

When I got to university and heard brilliant professors speaking openly about their residential school experiences I was floored. In high school we had no Indigenous teachers – Indigenous Studies had consisted of not much more than building popsicle stick teepees. Witnessing these Indigenous mentors and leaders educating young minds about not only their lived experiences, but about the education we all needed on the Indigenous experience in Canada – that was a real turning point.

What was especially important was that they approached it from an Indigenous lens, not from the Eurocentric lens that I was so used to hearing about in textbooks. I thought to myself, “These people are incredible. I want to be exactly like them. If they can do it, then it is possible for me to do it too.”

Taking Indigenous Studies in university opened my eyes and gave me a deeper understanding of Indigenous inclusion in Canada – one that has led to me spending the past 10 years as a professor of Indigenous Studies. After my undergraduate work, I went to Belgium and got my master's degree and now I'm doing my PhD at the University of Lethbridge.

I’m proud to be able to teach and mentor young people – and to be an example of what’s possible for any young person to achieve – Indigenous or not.