Steve Kootenay-Jobin

Among his brothers, Steve Kootenay-Jobin was the first to pursue a university education at Mount Royal, Starting with the Aboriginal Education Program in 2007, he went on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts (BA) — Sociology. His dedication and hard work was an inspiration to his family, Kootenay-Jobin started a brotherly tradition in his home, one of pursing post-secondary possibilities.

His oldest brother graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in General Management from MRU, while several of his younger siblings have gone on to successful post-secondary endeavors in Calgary and Vancouver.

But Kootenay-Jobin notes he wasn’t the first member of his family to proudly wear a university cap and gown. His mother graduated from the Social Work program at Mount Royal in the early 1990s. He says he remembers dropping her off on campus when he was a child.

“We never had much money, so the barriers were obvious. We had lots of love, but there was no extra money for toys or other stuff that kids at school had,” says Kootenay-Jobin, who is Nakoda-Sioux from the Stoney Nation in Morley. “My mom told us education was the way for us to have a better life and to obtain the things we dreamed of.”

“I remember in Grade one when the rest of my younger brothers could still stay at home and play. My mother would be grooming me extra carefully, and I would get frustrated as I just wanted to leave and play games. But I remember her explaining that we needed to try harder in everyway possible, including keeping ourselves clean because we are ‘being watched.’ My mother explained that once this was ‘our land,’ but our way of life has changed and our people are suffering because they don’t know the education of the ‘white man.’ In his world, education is everything. For this reason, she told me, ‘stay in school’.”

Kootenay-Jobin says he first chose Mount Royal because of the Aboriginal Education Program, which provides upgrading from grades 10 to 12, as well as additional tutoring, time management skills and advice on what courses to take. Cultural identity is a big part of it. For example, English courses include Aboriginal authors and Native Studies provide role models.

While Kootenay-Jobin graduated from high school, he says he didn’t have “great marks,” so he welcomed the opportunity to upgrade.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I came here. I didn’t even know what sociology was. I just wanted a decent life and a decent job,” he explains.

As fate would have it, he began working at the Iniskim Centre on Mount Royal’s Aboriginal Housing Program in the fall of 2014. It’s the largest housing program of its kind in Canada, with 28 single units and four family units on campus.

“I love my job — I give people coming here guidance. They’re scared of the unknowns, so I share my struggles and my successes,” he says. “As well, I often speak to the nursing, social work, arts, general education and indigenous studies students and I enjoy the outcomes and perspectives people gain through our conversations.”

Kelsey Solway

“Awesome” is how Kelsey Solway describes her summer job at CBC Radio Canada North in Yellowknife, where she honed her reporting and research skills.

As a Mount Royal University Journalism student, she worked on the morning and evening news, as well as contributed to programs such as the Eagle Act and Igalaaq. The reach is broad, with CBC North covering four time zones, all three territories and the northern portions of all provinces.

Professional experience was just one of the benefits Solway took advantage of during her time in Yellowknife. She got to learn snippets of Dene, with 50 per cent of Yellowknife speaking it as their first language (there are 11 official languages in northern Canada).

“I learnt phrases like ‘mahsi,’ which is ‘thank you.’ It makes me want to learn more Blackfoot too,” says Solway, who is from the Siksika Nation in southern Alberta.

Along with learning new tongues, she says the experience of living in the northern community renewed her interest in Aboriginal culture. One of the highlights was attending a dance at the Civic Centre in downtown Yellowknife.

“There were ladies between 85 and 90 years old cutting fish up. The culture here is so rich and the cultural pride is incorporated into everything. It’s been a really good thing for me to be around,” she says.

Solway has one more year at MRU before she graduates with a Bachelor of Communication — Journalism. In her early days at the University, she spent a lot of time at the Iniskim Centre.

“I really liked the environment and would spend all day writing there. If I heard there was stew and bannock I would come for a cultural meal there,” Solway says. “Not only did I meet people from my own reserve, but from other reserves too. When we started talking, we discovered we knew of each other’s families.

” Solway’s sister, Jacey, is also attending Mount Royal and is in the Nursing program.

The sisters grew up on a ranch on Siksika near Bassano. Solway’s family, including her dad, went to a kindergarten to grade 12 school in the small town. She said her parents, especially her mom, pushed her to go to post-secondary. Solway will be the first person in her immediate family to get a degree.

“When I come back to Siksika, I tell my friends how much I’ve learned. Some say the only reason I got in was because I’m Native. This bothered me at first, but after three years I feel like I’ve done enough to prove I’m succeeding and doing it for myself,” she says.

In 2013, Solway helped organized the Siksika Benefit Concert after the flood. Albertan-bred country artists Corb Lund and Ian Tyson performed, raising $34,000 for the community. She also worked for the Youth Chief Council.

“I was blessed to be raised on the farm so I stayed away from a lot of the stuff going on. The kids on the reserve are in trouble,” Solway says. “They need someone to look up to – they need mentors and positive outlets. I tell them you won’t always be on the reserve. You have to go out and pursue what you want. If I can do it, you can too.”