Congratulations to our 2022 Graduate Student Mentorship Stipend Winners!

Jesse is a proud member of Bigstone Cree Nation - a First Nations band based out of Northern Alberta Treaty 8 territory. He is currently a Master of Public Health student within the University of Alberta's School of Public Health. Born and raised in Wabasca, AB, Jesse moved to Edmonton in 2013 to finish high school. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing in 2019, Jesse worked as an Emergency Registered Nurse for a year before pursuing a masters degree.
Jesse's focus is on Indigenous health and Indigenous health leadership. He will be moving to Victoria, BC for his final practicum which will be with the Government of British Columbia's Indigenous Health and Reconciliation Division.

Sarah Auger is a citizen of Mikisew Cree First Nation, Fort Chipewyan, Alberta. This is where her father’s family is from. Her mother’s family is Métis from Lac Ste Anne, Alberta. Sarah is currently a PhD Candidate in Educational Policy Studies with a specialization in Indigenous Peoples Education at the University of Alberta. She is also a Coordinator for the Indigenous Prison Arts & Education Project, housed in the Faculty of Native Studies. Her doctoral research is on Indigenous art as pedagogy. She is examining the ways in which Cree creativity and creative practices can contribute to the nurturance of Cree identity, and how these practices can be introduced in a meaningful way in contemporary art education. Sarah is also a mother, grandmother, and beadwork artist.

Tansi, my name is Grant Bruno and I am a first-generation residential school survivor and first-generation university grad. I am a father to 4 amazing children, 2 of which are on the autism spectrum. I am a registered member of Samson Cree Nation, one of the reserves that makes up Maskwacis, but I grew up in Enoch Cree Nation. After my master’s program my sons were diagnosed and I discovered there is minimal academic literature on the experiences of First Nations people in Canada and autism, which led me to my PhD program. I am a PhD in Medical Sciences Student in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta. My research will take place in Maskwacis and will be community-led and is going to explore the experiences of autism in the community. As a father and community member I am honoured and grateful to have the opportunity to conduct meaningful research which will positively impact my family and community.

Eileen Clearsky is an Anishinaabe/Métis scholar and Assistant Professor, at Mount Royal University.
Eileen’s research focuses primarily on Indigenizing teaching practices within the academy, exploring ways of implementing Indigenous content into curriculum. Her PhD applies an Indigenous Research Methodology, grounded in Anishinaabe/Métis worldview, to examine the stories/experiences of professors that are working towards implementation of Indigenous  knowledge systems into curriculum. She hopes to help transform the educational experiences and outcomes of Indigenous Peoples in Canada by helping educators uncover and address the barriers that continue to exist in all systems in Canada.

Louise Doore is from the Siksika Nation, member of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Her Blackfoot/Siksika name is “Ahsoapi’tsisowo” (Safely Crossing Over). She is married to Jason Doore together they have 4 Children & 4 Grandchildren.

Louise has worked for over 25 years in the social work profession. Majority of her work stems from working in her community, in the fields of Mental Health, Crisis Response and Victim Services, with Program Management & Development, Budgeting, Policy and partnership establishments.

Louise considers herself fortunate to be raised with her traditional Siksika culture and language. This has provided her with the foundational knowledge, which is reflected in many of her endeavors.

She is currently in the Master of Social Work (Leadership in Human Services) program with the University of Calgary, graduating in April 2022. Her future goal is to complete a doctorate degree in Social Work.

Kate Dunn is an Anishinaabe woman who works in a collaborative role increasing access to Hepatitis C treatment and cure for Indigenous communities in Alberta. Bringing a background in nursing, and a master’s in public health she is pursuing a doctorate in social sciences at Royal Roads University focusing on Indigenous Health. Kate’s Wisdom Seeking research project spends time with Indigenous Knowledge Holders listening to memories, stories, and perspectives on traditional health and liver wellness. These conversations will guide co-creation of a respectful and culturally relevant awareness approach or DocuStory (short documentary movie) sharing perspectives on wellness shaping positive awareness of Hepatitis C. Moving forward to the goal of altering the approach to this disease from one of cultural barriers, fear, and stigma; to a wholistic story of wellness and healing framed in a way that community members understand, directed by the voices and experiences of Knowledge Holders. This work has potential to influence creation of culturally relevant resources impacting primary health care and provincial policy while incorporating wholistic and traditional wellness approaches to Hepatitis C and liver health.

Meghan Eaker (she/her) is a registered nurse, poet, and beading artist of mixed nehiyaw (Cree) and European ancestry. She is a member of the Woodland Cree First Nation in Treaty 8 territory and grew up in and near amiskwaciywaskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta). She holds a Master’s of Science Applied in Nursing (global health) from McGill University and is currently working on her PhD in Nursing at the University of Alberta. She is studying Indigenous youth mental health and wellbeing promotion from a nehiyaw perspective.

Keith is an English settler on his father’s side and Russian settler/Métis on his mother’s side, and a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta. He is also a Registered Nurse and Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. He grew up on a farm near Manning, Alberta, in Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) Region Six of the homeland, and Neheyewak, Dene Suliné, and Dane-zaa territory under Treaty 8. He is currently living in Amiskwacî-wâskahikan (Edmonton), in MNA Region Four, on the traditional lands and meeting place of the Dene Suliné, Nehiyiwak or Cree, Nakota Sioux, Haudenosaunee or Iriquois, Saulteaux, Siksikaitsitapi or Blackfoot, Anishinaabe, Inuit and other distinct peoples. His proposed Ph.D. research will look at community needs, vaccination coverage, and the experiences of Métis people, their families, and communities with vaccinations against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a common infection that increases the risk of several types of cancer. He hopes to continue his work with his community and the MNA, developing Métis ways of knowing and doing research, to deepen his connection with his kin and lands, and to support contemporary action to continue to assert Métis sovereignty and self-determination in health, education, and research.

My name is Tiffany Morin, I am a MSc student at the University of Calgary in the Community Health Sciences program with a specialization in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies. My thesis research area is with young stroke survivors in Calgary. I am a member of the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region Three. My family is Metis, Cree, and European settler. I grew up in Saskatchewan and my Indigenous family is from the Green Lake and Meadow Lake area.
 
My career has been in the field of recreation therapy, and I have been practicing for over 20 years in long term care, mental health, adapted sport and rehabilitation. My future goals include transitioning to teaching in recreation therapy, private practice, and finding ways to connect recreation therapy practice within Indigenous health services.

Jared Schlechte was originally born in Regina, Saskatchewan but moved to Calgary as an adult and is a proud member of the Metis Nation of Alberta. While originally trained in computer engineering, he attended the University of Calgary as a mature student where he completed an honours bachelor degree in Cellular and Molecular Microbiology. Jared has now set his sights on completing a PhD in immunology, with a specific focus on the microbiome in critically ill patients admitted to the ICU.

Rochelle Starr is from Little Pine First Nation, which is located in Treaty 6 territory in Saskatchewan and is of Cree and German descent. She presently lives in Edmonton, AB, Treaty 6 territory with her three children who are from Thunderchild First Nation, SK.  Rochelle is a Ph.D. candidate in the specialization of Indigenous Peoples Education, Department of Educational Policy Studies, Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.  She also holds a Masters of Education, and Bachelor of Arts, specializing in First Nation Studies and Political Science.  Rochelle's work focuses on Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous understandings of Crises (colonialism, oppression, racism, and Indigenous & non-Indigenous relationships), Indigenous research methodologies, Indigenous pedagogy, Cree language, and leadership and young Indigenous women.  Rochelle is committed to inspiring and creating ways of being that are deeply rooted in the power of our ancestors and that are therefore life-giving and bring about love, strength, and freedom.