Page 18 | Spring 2022
the younger sister of Jackson.“ It was like growing up with your best friends. They really looked out for me and made sure I was included,” says Nahanni.
Comparing her schooling experiences in Yellowknife to Saskatchewan, Nahanni says,“ In Yellowknife, the students were mostly Indigenous. We didn’ t see each other as colour; we saw people as their personalities. We were also taught Indigenous culture in our curriculum with activities like sewing class and a hunting class where teachers and Elders would take us out to the bush to learn how to snare rabbits and to dry meat. When we moved here, I felt like it was Danny and I, probably two out of the five Indigenous people in the school. It was hard making friends here. I’ m just happy that I had Danny, he was kind of my best friend. I felt like I didn’ t get bullied a lot. It took adapting to a new environment to learn who I am and I am happy in my place in life. I didn’ t experience racism the way my mom did, but I felt that people did judge me by my look and not my personality.”
A couple years after moving to Regina Beach, however, their family became accepted as“ locals” in the small town, and life became easier.“ Now I work at the Beach Bar and I’ m a local and everyone knows me,” says Nahanni.
When the time came for choosing a career, Nahanni couldn’ t decide.“ When I graduated high school, I didn’ t know what I wanted to do at all,” she says. It wasn’ t until she turned 21 that Nahanni took steps towards deciding on a career. She made a pros and cons list for a variety of career options, and education was the option that stood out for her.“ It checked off all the boxes: I’ m good with people, love kids, and I want to be a good role model. I want kids to grow up with someone who actually cares because I feel like I’ ve had teachers in the past, where some cared and some didn’ t. I could see myself as a teacher who cares. Something inside of me spoke to me:‘ Be a teacher.’ You just get those gut feelings.”
While many of her famly and friends affirmed and encouraged her choice to become a teacher, Nahanni remembers specifically one of her Lumsden high school teachers, Ms. Winter, who was a great influence on her.“ She was the one who paid close attention to me; she built that student-teacher relationship. She made me feel seen and heard. Ms Winter would say,‘ Your mom raised you well’ and‘ You’ re a good kid.’ That made me feel seen as an individual who is capable, able to do things, even if I didn’ t understand something right away.”
Nahanni considers her older brother Jackson a role model as well www2. uregina. ca / education / news