OJIBWAY FROM MISSISSAUGA FIRST NATION
Queen’s University
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
I grew up in Ontario, Canada, on Mississauga First Nation, a small reserve next to a little town called Blind River. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to go into the health care field, but I wasn’t sure what would be the best fit for me. I did know I wanted to help people, and to hopefully return to my community later on.
My family was always, and still is, supportive of my education. They encouraged me to study something that I was interested in and passionate about. Although I had to explain what biochemistry is and why I wanted to study it nearly every time I went home, they were supportive.
During high school, I loved math and studying science, specifically chemistry and biology. One of my teachers mentioned that I would be good in biochemistry, so after looking into different programs, I decided to listen to my teacher’s advice and picked biochemistry as my undergraduate major at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario. I liked the school so much I decided to stay there to do my master’s in occupational therapy.
Moving eight hours away from home, a super small town, to a large (in my eyes) city took some adjusting, but it quickly became “home” after I found a good support system. In my first year of university, I signed up to have a mentor and was paired with a first-year medical student. She first introduced me to occupational therapy. The more I learned, the more I was interested in pursuing a career in this field.
During my second year, I was taking mandatory courses to complete my degree, including some challenging chemistry courses and a statistics course. I was not satisfied with my overall grade in the statistics course and decided to retake it during the summer. I studied the online videos, repeated the practice problems, and reached out when I needed extra guidance. This allowed me to significantly improve my grade and better understand the material.
Knowing that I have everyone’s support back home, and how I just want to make them proud, really helps me get through the hard times and pushes me to do my best. I also want to show the youth in my community that it’s possible to study STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine) — and I want to show them the many opportunities available.
Throughout my years at Queen’s, I was able to participate in various volunteer activities. I introduced young girls to STEMM with WISE (Women in Science and Engineering), mentored a first-year Indigenous student with Q-Success, worked with an at-risk child as a Kaleidoscope mentor, assisted a senior with MS on how to use technology for the Cyber Senior Project, and with Revved Up, facilitated an adaptive exercise program for people with mobility impairments and developmental disabilities.
Every summer since high school, I’ve also worked at day camps.
Through working with Indigenous communities for the past seven years, I was able to be actively involved with not just my own community, but other Indigenous communities as well. Being an Indigenous person in a STEMM field, I understood that there was, and still is, a need to engage young Indigenous children in culturally relevant science and technology activities. For the past three years, I’ve been able to combine my love of science with my passion for working with children through Aboriginal Access to Engineering, traveling to Indigenous communities near Kingston to introduce children to STEMM.
My most memorable volunteer activity was with the SkateABLE program, where I taught children with disabilities to skate. Watching the kids have fun, develop independence, and progress in their skating genuinely resonated with me. It opened my eyes to how I can make a meaningful impact on someone’s life, which further confirmed my reason for pursuing a career in occupational therapy.
After the 2017 AISES National Conference in Denver, a few of us started the Queen’s AISES College Chapter (Q-AISES). The first year I was involved as the senior director of outreach, and last year, I was one of the co-presidents.
Once I complete my education, I hope to practice occupational therapy. One thing I hope to accomplish in the future is to combine Indigenous traditional teachings and medicines with techniques learned through the occupational therapy program to help not only Indigenous people, but other populations as well.
For students who are about to go to college, I would say don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, from friends, family, or professors. They are all there to help you and really do want you to succeed. Also, be sure to make time for self-care: catching up with friends, smudging, getting exercise, setting aside time to watch one episode on Netflix, etc. Another important thing is to step outside your comfort zone to try new experiences, even when they seem scary. It’s the only way to grow as a person and to learn new things — even if you end up not liking them, now you know!
