Celebrating Indigenous Role Models at Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Celebrating Indigenous Role Models at Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Representation of Indigenous role models is important to the success of Indigenous students. Since 2013, Saskatchewan Polytechnic has been dedicated to celebrating and sharing the success stories of these inspiring individuals. Larissa Debray and Hunter Nippi-Thirsk share their journeys filled with challenges, growth and triumphs.

Larissa Debray

“I always said I would never go back to school, but here I am, a post-secondary graduate,” says Larissa Debray.

A graduate of Sask Polytech’s Medical Laboratory Assistant program in Saskatoon, Larissa says motherhood was the catalyst that sparked her return to school. “After a few years of working different jobs and taking care of my first child, I knew I needed to go back to school to have a career for us,” she says. 

The number of obstacles Larissa had to overcome to graduate still surprises her. She experienced a loss in her family, which coincided with the need to find new housing. She also discovered she was pregnant with her second child at the start of her program. “But that didn’t stop me,” she says. 

She found guidance and encouragement from one of her instructors, who was “one of the most caring, understanding teachers I have ever met. She’s always willing to help push you in the right direction. Without her help, I probably wouldn’t have finished my program.”

Debray shares her advice for prospective students: When life throws obstacles in your direction, “remember it’s just a bad day, week or month. It’s not a bad life. Things will work out in the end.”

Hunter Nippi-Thirsk

Hunter Nippi-Thirsk of Kinistin Saulteaux Nation has a positive attitude towards life’s inevitable challenges. 

“Failure doesn’t define who you are, and it doesn’t define your future,” he says. “Use it as a step to learn and overcome the barriers of life. Getting back up is what shapes us to be what we are meant to be in the world.”

As student in Sask Polytech’s Business diploma program at Moose Jaw campus, Nippi-Thirsk faced challenges during his studies but says the Indigenous Students’ Centre was a “phenomenal” resource. “It allowed me to connect with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, other Indigenous students and a staff committed to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action.”

He also found an encouraging, compassionate staff member there who motivated him and helped lighten the load of stress. “She assures all Indigenous students that we are in the right place and we will succeed one way or another if we put in the work.”

Nippi-Thirsk emphasizes the importance of the relationships and community support he found at Sask Polytech. “It’s not about the abilities you are born with,” he says. “It’s about the people you meet on the journey that help you reveal the abilities you have within yourself.”

At Sask Polytech, Indigenous students find more than just a post-secondary education; they find a community that supports their dreams and goals and honours their culture and identity. Debray and Nippi-Thirsk’s journeys exemplify the impact of positive representation and the importance of community support in achieving educational and professional success.

saskpolytech.ca/rolemodels