When you’re a child growing up in Iqaluit, Nunavut, it may be strange to think of travelling all the way to Peterborough, Ontario to attend Trent University one day. But for Jukipa Anrango Kotierk it was a natural choice.

Last year, following in the footsteps of her mother and her aunt, both graduates of Trent, Jukipa Anrango Kotierk made the decision to pursue her academic journey in the Foundations of Indigenous Learning Diploma program at the University – the same program her mother attended. It’s a decision that Ms. Kotierk is happy she made more and more each day.

“I love the campus, and the atmosphere it provides. I love how kind and helpful all the staff are, from the people at the Financial Aid Office, to the employees in the cafeterias, and everyone in between,” Ms. Kotierk said. She is also especially thankful to the staff at Gzowski College in the First Peoples House of Learning: “They helped me to settle in and made me feel welcomed,” she said.

Recently, Ms. Kotierk was presented with the Jon & Shelagh Grant Prize for an Inuit Student, which recognizes and encourages the educational journey of an Inuit student at Trent. Ms. Kotierk said this award has helped her to strive to do her best. “It shows me that my efforts here are paying off,” she said. “It also encourages me to continue to work hard.”

Currently in her second year of the diploma program, Ms. Kotierk is already thinking of taking her Trent education to the next level. Next, she is interested in pursuing a degree and then graduate studies at the University.

“Although I am currently in the Foundations of Indigenous Learning Diploma Program, my sights are set on Psychology,” she said. “I am taking a lot of Psychology courses as electives and I am looking to major in the subject, alongside Indigenous Studies.”

She plans to pursue these two disciplines at Trent with the hopes of becoming a child psychologist, or a social worker. Eventually, she hopes to take the skills learned here back to her hometown of Iqaluit, Nunavut.

“I would love to use my skills to provide service to those in need back home” she said.

Posted on Monday, November 10, 2014.