Grade:

Province or Territory: Nova Scotia

Organization/program: First Nations Education Administrators Association

Being part of Indigenous organizations fosters the guiding principles of not wasting anything, giving back to the community, and only taking what you need. I really like that those principles are prioritized. It's something I've always been brought up with, and they're principles that I use in my everyday work life and research.

I joined all of the Indigenous sessions, and we shared the challenges and hardships we've experienced when it comes to education and workplaces. For me, a big challenge has been a lack of Indigenous representation in post-secondary education. It meant a lot to share these things. I believe that it's important that these kinds of conversations are youth-led because a lot of people think that youth don't have the knowledge needed to lead these discussions. But Mi'kmaq elders encourage everyone to listen to the youth because they'll teach you new ways of thinking you can use and learn from. It's about respecting what anyone can teach you, no matter what their age is. So I really appreciate that this event was youth-led.

I work with species at risk and water conservation in the aquatics program at the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources. And when I was younger, I didn't realize my work was STEM research, because I previously thought STEM was just about medicine. But coming here has helped me discover that my work is STEM. FNEAA helped me realize my work is STEM research.

I like to write and have written a book. It has the Mi'kmaq language, traditions, and culture in it, mixed with Fae fantasy.