My spirit comes from the generations before me. Growing up, I have had the privilege of being able to witness how hard work, perseverance, and most of all kindness assists you in achieving anything that you set your mind to. I have been taught that it is OK to be different, always put your best foot forward, and be honest with yourself; that failure is okay as long as you learn from it, and that every story has two sides that must be heard in order to make your own, best conclusions.  

Having the privilege of growing up on and off-reserve, and having strong influences from both my mom (of Newfoundland decent) and my dad’s (Anishnaabe) side of the family, I have gained various perspectives which have assisted me throughout my adult life. I also give credit to the Georgina Island First Nation Community (my home community) for my successes as they have given me the support, encouragement, and love needed to take chances and grow into my career at CIPS.

I have always been very connected to the outdoors, loved learning new things, meeting new people, and I am pretty confident about who I am as a person. I am always seeking the opportunity to learn more about my Anishnaabe roots.  To be able to have the opportunity to do all of this while connecting people to each other and the environment is a blessing.  To create opportunities for myself to learn about my culture, traditions, and people, and be able to do my part to ensure a better future for everyone, is a feeling that I struggle to describe.  To date, the best I have come up with is the words Mno Bimaadizwin.  It translates to “living the good life.