Discovering AISES during his first month at university not only helped Matthieu Lavallée find a community – it launched new possibilities. He chose to study chemical engineering far from home at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, well-known for its engineering program and co-op work placements.
But learning how to study for challenging engineering courses while simultaneously applying for jobs as part of the co-op requirement has not been easy. Leaning on friends during hard times helped him succeed, and Lavallée found strength in his Indigenous connections through AISES meetings and the weekly soup and bannock lunches at the university's Indigenous Student Centre. "Especially in first year, you're all in the same boat far away from home," say Lavallée. "Don't be afraid to take chances or reach out to people. It's a lot better to be lost with other people than to be lost by yourself."
Becoming vice president of the university's AISES College Chapter in his second year, Lavallée had the opportunity to take his first plane trip to the 2023 Canada National Gathering in Vancouver, where he met other Indigenous STEM students from all over North America. AISES also introduced him to the First Nations Launch, an annual rocket competition sponsored by NASA’s Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.
Leading up to the launch event, the university's four-member team attended a “launch and learn” weekend to get the basics of rocketry, then worked with mentors from Waterloo and Ottawa to design, build, and launch a high-powered rocket. As team leader, Lavallée learned about budgeting, report writing, and project management. Despite being forced by high winds to make last minute adjustments, the team felt that the big event in Kenosha, Wis., was a blast in more ways than one, and their rocket successfully reached an apogee of 786 feet. “It went all according to plan,” Lavallée says. “The rocket went up and came down in almost one piece. Going from 'I don't know how we're going to build this' to using simulation software, then actually building and launching the rocket – it was awesome.”
Growing up in Sudbury in Northern Ontario, Lavallée connected to his Algonquin Anishinaabe roots as a member of the Wolf Lake First Nation, near the Ontario-Quebec border, through his mother's side of the family. “She brought me to cultural events like powwows and workshops,” he says. “It did influence me, teaching me Algonquin ways of learning and caring for the environment. What's stuck with me is that everything you do has an effect on the environment around you and the importance of always taking into consideration the impact of what you do.”
Now in his fourth year at university, Lavallée is president of his AISES chapter. Currently on a co-op placement at a manufacturing facility, he has been organizing meetings virtually. Previous co-op jobs have taken him back to his home community for academic research followed by stints with Environment Canada and an oil company in Alberta. A recent exchange term in Switzerland was another university highlight, providing opportunities for memorable hiking excursions and visits to other European cities.
As he approaches graduation, Lavallée is leaning toward entering the workforce rather than pursuing postgraduate studies. “I'd like to get a job closer to home, family, and friends,” he says. “It would be interesting to have a career where I could interact with my own people. Over my last four years, I've maintained my connection to Indigenous culture through my family and AISES.”
