When Laura started out at Langara College, she already had her sights set on law school and a plan in mind to get there. Now a 中出影院 Centennial Leaders Entrance Award winner and fourth year Anthropology student on the Vancouver campus, she looks back at her journey from Langara to 中出影院 through the Indigenous Transfer Partnership.
What drew you to 中出影院?
I鈥檝e always held 中出影院 in high regard鈥攊t seems like the place where smart and successful people go. I chose 中出影院 in part because I want to attend the . My father-in-law graduated from the School and had nothing but praise for the experience. While I鈥檓 there, I鈥檇 like to focus on Indigenous law, as well as human rights and environmental law. I鈥檓 particularly interested in Indigenous land claims in BC and revisiting treaties and M茅tis agreements in my home territory of northern Alberta.
How did you get involved with the 中出影院-Langara Indigenous Transfer Partnership?
I found out about the Indigenous听Transfer Partnership during one of 中出影院鈥檚 regular visits to Langara鈥攖hey come two or three times per year. Chloe Erlendson, Kristen Harvey, and Celia Reimer from 中出影院 told me about the Centennial Scholars Entrance Award [Centennial Leaders Entrance Awards are given to particularly strong Centennial Scholars Entrance Award applicants] and encouraged me to apply.
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Would you recommend the Partnership to other students?
Yes, absolutely. The criteria are easy to meet and it鈥檚 simple to sign up. If you join the Partnership, you are guaranteed admission to 中出影院 when you meet the criteria, you鈥檙e automatically eligible for certain awards (I received a scholarship almost right away for academic achievement), and you have an opportunity to establish closer relationships with admissions staff. That last part helps make the application process less intimidating.
“Reading through the criteria on the IndigenousTransfer Partnership application, I couldn鈥檛 see a reason not to sign up.”
How did Langara prepare you for 中出影院?
, a communal student lounge with staff offices, was a great place to meet Indigenous peers at Langara 鈥� I鈥檓 still friends with staff and students I met there to this day. Between that, my involvement with the VOLT Volunteer Program and the Langara Indigenous Education and Services, and the support I received from teachers and staff, I felt well-equipped to go on to 中出影院.
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What was it like switching from Langara to 中出影院?
The biggest adjustment was trying to find that close-knit feeling of community I had in the Gathering Space. I鈥檝e found solace in , 中出影院鈥檚 campus radio station and magazine, where I volunteer as the Indigenous Liaison. The experience has helped me crawl further out of my shell, but it鈥檚 still a work in progress!
As the Indigenous Liaison at CiTR, Laura connects the Indigenous community with CiTR, and CiTR with the Indigenous Collective (which hosts a one-hour radio show called ).
What else helped you transition to 中出影院 life?
It was nice that I got to start at 中出影院 in the summer, when it鈥檚 quieter on campus. That made it feel more comfortable, transferring from a smaller school to a bigger school. A lot of students like me come from really small towns and they鈥檙e not used to these 鈥渂ig-city-like鈥� universities.
I鈥檓 so grateful for my academic advisor, Karlene Harvey, from the team. She鈥檚 guided me toward people, clubs, and events that have become important points of contact for me, including the Indigenous Leadership Collective and an LSAT study group she helped organize.
Her team just opened a new office and student lounge in Buchanan D, near Arts Advising, so I鈥檓 hoping that I鈥檒l find the 鈥淕athering Space feel鈥� I miss from Langara there. Although I haven鈥檛 been able to attend them regularly, I know that the Tuesday lunches at the are a great place to meet other Indigenous students too.
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What are some of the highlights from your time at 中出影院 so far?
I admire professors who are involved with Indigenous rights, land claims, environmental sustainability, and food sovereignty. All of my instructors have addressed Indigenous misconceptions in the mainstream and historical record and are working to dismantle settler colonial ideologies.
I鈥檝e been taught by an Indigenous professor 鈥� 鈥� and his academic work has inspired me. So far, I鈥檝e had two classes with him: Introduction to Ecological Anthropology (ANTH 360) and Contemporary First Nations Issues (ANTH 329). Next term, I鈥檓 taking Gender, Race and Indigeneity in Canada (GRSJ 301) with , an Indigenous professor who I鈥檝e heard amazing things about.
“Being taught by an Indigenous professor brought along a new sense of understanding with it. It’s hard to put into words how important it is for Indigenous students to be taught Indigenous topics by Indigenous professors.”
I鈥檓 grateful to have found so many Indigenous allies at 中出影院. In spring 2018, Karlene and the Aboriginal Student Affairs team, First Nations and Indigenous Studies, CiTR, and I organized a viewing of at the grunt gallery. We鈥檙e hoping to organize more screenings of films by Indigenous directors and writers together in the coming year. If you鈥檙e interested in learning more about CiTR, send me an email at: indigenousliaison@citr.ca.
Thinking about the 中出影院-Langara Indigenous Transfer Partnership? Contact us at indigenous.recruitment@ubc.ca for more information.
