Student Stories

Indigenous Graduation Celebration Spring 2019

Indigenous Graduation Celebration Spring 2019

The First Nation House of Learning’s held its annual Indigenous graduation celebration at the First Nations Longhouse on Saturday, May 25th, where 39 Indigenous students and two UBC honorary degree recipients, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and Leona Sparrow, were honoured by families, friends and supporters for their achievements. Overall, 130 Indigenous students graduated this spring, […]

AMS apologizes to Indigenous peoples

AMS apologizes to Indigenous peoples

Last month, UBC Alma Mater Society President Marium Hamid delivered an apology to Indigenous peoples during a meeting with Indigenous students at the First Nations Longhouse. AMS expressed on behalf of 56,000 current undergraduate and graduate students of the University of British Columbia its “profound regret” for not making “serious efforts to advance reconciliation or […]

FNHL Graduation Celebration 2018

FNHL Graduation Celebration 2018

May 28, 2018 – On Saturday, May 26th, the First Nations House of Learning held its annual graduation celebration for participating Indigenous graduates at the UBC First Nations Longhouse (see video below). This year’s turnout was higher than most, with 58 of 211 eligible graduates celebrating, along with family, friends and supporters. The keynote was […]

UBC NITEP student talks about his ‘remarkable’ practicum project

UBC NITEP student talks about his ‘remarkable’ practicum project

March 5, 2018 – Fourth-year teacher candidate, Dave Robinson, with the UBC Indigenous Teacher Education Program, and Vancouver School Board Grade 6/7 teacher, Monica Treanor, with Sir Sandford Fleming Elementary School, recently completed a five-month carving project with her class. Over this period, an 80-centimetre red cedar sculpture was hand-carved and sanded by Mr. Robinson […]

Indigenous medical graduates inspire future generations

Indigenous medical graduates inspire future generations

October 20, 2017 – There is a steady hum of activity inside the Cowichan Maternity Clinic in Duncan. Cassandra Felske-Durksen places a gentle hand on the young woman’s shoulder, while monitoring the fetal heart rate displayed on a nearby screen. As a family physician with a special interest in Indigenous women’s health and obstetrics, Dr. […]

FNHL Graduation Celebration 2017

FNHL Graduation Celebration 2017

June 7, 2017 – On Saturday, May 27th, the First Nations House of Learning held its annual graduation celebration at the UBC First Nations Longhouse for participating Aboriginal graduates. This year, out of 172 grads from the Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 classes, 43 grads celebrated with family, friends and supporters, including faculty, staff and […]

Reconciliation in action

Reconciliation in action

May 2, 2017 – Reconciliation is an ongoing process, and if we are truly committed to it, we must welcome engagement with awkward and difficult situations that must be rectified. This is one such engagement story from our campus. By Severn Cullis-Suzuki, PhD Student in Anthropology It was exciting to return to my home city […]

Aboriginal grad on the value of a Sauder business education

Aboriginal grad on the value of a Sauder business education

March 10, 2017 – BCom Althea Wishloff found the support she received from UBC Sauder’s Ch’nook initiative gave her what she needed to secure a future in finance. The beginning Wishloff knew she had a head for math so assumed science was the logical route at university. But after a few months at UBC, the […]

The importance of Indigenous curriculum

The importance of Indigenous curriculum

August 24, 2016 – When Gord Downie recently told non-Indigenous Canadians that “we were trained our entire lives to ignore” northern Indigenous issues, indeed the peoples themselves, he wasn’t wrong. In its summary report, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada addressed this intentional ignorance about the country’s use of residential schools to “indoctrinate [Indigenous] children into a […]

Aboriginal PhD student Dustin King receives Governor General’s Gold Medal

Aboriginal PhD student Dustin King receives Governor General’s Gold Medal

Decked in full academic regalia, Dustin King crossed the stage of UBC’s Chan Centre to accept his PhD degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well as the Governor General’s Gold Medal for most outstanding academic record among UBC’s more than 300 doctoral recipients in all disciplines.