H O M E C O M M U N I T Y
Wabowden - Member
of Nischawaysihk Cree Nation
C U LT U R A L I D E N T I T Y
Cree (with Oji-Cree/
German/Scottish ancestry)
C U R R E N T P O S I T I O N
Teaching Faculty, University of Manitoba
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Laara Fitznor
E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G
Doctor of Education
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R O L E S / R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
Teaching, community service and research.
I am given to advance Aboriginal perspectives in education from
our community to the world at large. I realize that I have worked
hard to overcome many obstacles, such as racism (including
cultural racism) and sexism, in my efforts to promote Aboriginal
perspectives. I faced these challenges by educating myself, which
helped me persevere in the face of opposition and oppression.
My education has been grounded in Aboriginal philosophy,
which has also helped me continue this thread of promoting
Aboriginal perspectives throughout my career.
I believe I was inspired to pursue the profession of education
when I met with professors who seemed to care about us as
Aboriginal people. They helped me see that we had something
to contribute to Canadian society and that we could do this
without giving up who we are as Indigenous peoples. With an
educational background I was able to ensure that our voices
were heard. I also had to make some critical decisions in my
life to get where I am today. I had to study hard, study smart,
stay focused and pray or meditate at times. This always got me
through rough times.
I believe it is important for our youth to pursue education as
a career because education will help us maintain and advance
Aboriginal peoples’ way of thinking and being. We must educate
ourselves and others about who we are as Aboriginal people
locally, nationally and internationally. It is also important for
our young people to stay clear of unhealthy lifestyles related to
drugs, alcohol, and smoking, and to remember that we come
from a people worth fighting for.
I enjoy the autonomy
Persevere and have pride in your heritage.
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H O M E C O M M U N I T Y
Born and raised in Thorold,
Ontario. My family’s
community is Baker Lake, NU
C U LT U R A L I D E N T I T Y
Inuit
C U R R E N T P O S I T I O N
Dean, The School of Indigenous Education, Red River College
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Marti Ford
E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Education
Post Bachelorette Certification
Masters in Education
When I first decided to go back to school, I was living in Churchill,
Manitoba. I was a single mother and knew I needed an education
to support my daughter. I started with upgrading to ensure I had
the skills to succeed. After graduating from university I took
a job in Thompson working with adults. As I was recently in
the same situation as many of my students and could relate to
how they were feeling about going back
to school, everything seemed to click. I
loved my job and, over the years, as my
position has changed, my respect for my
students has grown. I think education is
a very noble career. There is no other way
to have more impact on a person’s life
than to provide them with knowledge
that they can use to create success, con-
fidence and security for themselves and
their families.
The favourite part of my job is travelling to the various com-
munities to meet the people I work with. I also love hearing the
stories of students and seeing people succeed toward their
dreams. I realize I have a great job because I get to work with
adults and see people’s lives change within a very short period
of time and I enjoy that. The biggest obstacle within my job is
dealing with students who don’t see their potential. I overcome
this obstacle by having a support team in place which includes
Elders and counselors to help students see their potential and
stay in school.
The most difficult career choice I made was to leave teaching to
go into administration. For me it was difficult because I always
loved working with students, but I felt that in administration I
could have more impact at the post-secondary level.
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I think my
profession found me.
R O L E S / R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
As Dean of the School of Indigenous Education, I am responsible for working with a team of Educators to
support and educate Aboriginal students by working with the students, their families and their communities.
We work with Red River College staff to educate them about Aboriginal people. We are a liaison between the
college and the community to provide advice and support in helping students succeed. I am also responsible for
working with my team to set the goals and vision of the division and to ensure that these goals are being met.
I think the most important message I could
pass on is that education really does change lives.
An educator affects the lives of their students,
their own families, the students’ families and their
community. Teachers affect people’s lives every
day. Who doesn’t remember a favourite teacher?
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