I started attending college courses in Fall 2007, and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to pursue for a degree. I started out taking general education requirements, and when it came time to declare a major, I chose nursing because it was one of the best programs Lake Superior State University (LSSU) had to offer.
I had a bit of a crisis right as my fourth year of undergraduate studies was starting. I didn’t know what degree I wanted, still, I was out of general education courses I could fill my schedule with, I had so many credits in unrelated courses, and I didn’t feel particularly passionate about anything. I ended up sharing my plight with two regulars that came into the sports bar I worked at, one of whom happened to be a professor/advisor/chair at LSSU and he suggested I give the Introduction to Programming course a try. Nothing in my life ever clicked so soundly, and made more sense, than what equates in my brain to a free form set of puzzle pieces that I get to manipulate however I want as long as I understand the rules. (and I did!) With the then-newly-accredited minor in Web Development, Professor Boger helped me piecemeal a degree plan together and I graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies (minors in French and Web Development).
And with that interview question for my current job, as an Information Technology (IT) Systems Engineer, I began my adventure to advance my education. I had been looking to add a second Bachelor’s degree to my credentials but that was because the Master’s degree program I was originally looking at (Computer Science) required a related degree, and my first bachelor’s degree wouldn’t suffice. At this point, I had my sights set on getting a master's degree, and at first, that was the sole achievement I wanted to unlock. My sister Sarah was the one to mention the Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program to me. Once I figured out that it was logistically sound and at least adjacent to the field I wanted to study, I applied. My first course was the Electronic Assessment course and I found myself in awe with how the coursework and everything was conducted. This was different, in the best way.
My initial thought was, “let’s get the master’s degree so we can teach undergraduate level courses." As I progressed through the program, I found that I have empathized more with the student perspective than I have with the instructor perspective, which feels a little funny when I consider how many of my classmates are, or were, teachers in some professional capacity. I'm motivated to share knowledge with others and to consider how I can lead by example to help others navigate their own education and connect them with resources, methods, and tools. My experiences in my master’s degree program have contributed to a much more robust understanding of our educational systems, the constraints they’re choked by, and the affordances offered to us if we know where to look. As I've listened to peers, mentors, and instructors who have much more teaching experience than I do, I was reminded that I have access to precious and endangered knowledge sets. I want to take everything I've learned and put it to use toward efforts to revitalize my language and culture. This is a shared mission in my personal life as one of the Anishinaabeg* and in my professional life as a staff member at Bay Mills Community College (BMCC, a tribal college).
⚠️Content Warning - child abuse
In May 2021, when unmarked graves of children were discovered in Kamloops, British Columbia, on the grounds where an Indian Residential School was operated, it took me a while to digest what that meant knowing that my maternal great-grandparents had attended the United State's equivalent "American Indian Boarding Schools" in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Only recently has my father also clarified that he, too, attended one of these boarding schools briefly. These institutions were constructed to assimilate, to “Kill the Indian and Save the Man!” (this links to photographs and an essay on Canada’s residential schools) and according to an investigative report from the Department of the Interior (DOI, 2022),
When I consider the sheer scope, and scale, of these damages I remember to be grateful for the survivors, who held onto their language and cultural teachings so that they could teach new generations when they were safe to move on and heal from their abuse. I want to take what I've learned in my graduate studies and be a better student to my community, so that I can take on the role of being a more knowledgeable other to folks seeking traditional teachings. As we learn more, I want to build community and connections that will work toward healing and reconciliation and to ultimately revitalize my language and culture with unassailable determination. Healing the generational traumas that stem from the colonization of my ancestors is not likely to be completed in my lifetime but I do feel that using my education toward that end is a worthwhile pursuit and I'm happy to keep working and making progress.
Wyton, M. (2023, June 17). Residential school denialists tried to dig up suspected unmarked graves in Kamloops, B.C., report finds. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/denialists-tried-to-access-unmarked-gravesite-tkemlups-report-1.6879980
Department of the Interior. (2022, May 11). Department of the Interior Releases Investigative Report, Outlines Next Steps in Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative | U. S. Department of the Interior. (2022, May 11). [Press Release]. https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/department-interior-releases-investigative-report-outlines-next-steps-federal-indian
Zalcman, D. (2016). “KILL THE INDIAN, SAVE THE MAN”: ON THE PAINFUL LEGACY OF CANADA’S RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS. World Policy Journal, 33(3), 72–85. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26781425