I first moved to the territory of the Tk’emlups te  Secwepemc within Secwepemcúl’ecw in 2020 to begin my studies at TRU. I have since learned about the massive breadth of knowledge held and passed down  by the Secwepemc people   about the land they have stewarded since time immemorial, the resilience of the Secwepemc culture despite cruel and erroneous efforts by settler colonizers to erase it, and the inequities and injustice the Secwepemc people, and all Indigenous peoples still face today.

 I am of settler descent and have lived my whole life with certain privileges because of that. One privilege I will have as a teacher is to influence my students to become knowledgeable, confident, and compassionate people. I can teach my students that there are so many ways to live, think, be, and do, and that through listening and collaborating we can accomplish some really cool things. Informing non-Indigenous students of Canada’s past is an important part of what my students should know, but appreciating the Secwepemc and other Indigenous peoples for who they still are today is what I think could inspire students and build momentum toward reconciliation.