USask student instrumental in growing Métis community on campus

In only four years, a grassroots student group, the Métis Students of USask (MSU) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask), went from a concept to having over 100 Métis students in their group. And much of that growth and success is thanks to Chelsea Ochoa.

On March 10, Ochoa was recognized for her impact on the Métis community with a USask Indigenous Achievement Award for Leadership.

A fourth year Métis student in the final year of her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Psychology, Ochoa grew up in a home where she felt connected to her Métis culture, and wanted to help establish that same cultural connectedness on campus.

“There’s a lot of Métis youth that don’t have that opportunity – a lot who grow up with parents or grandparents who suppressed who they were. Now that we’re in a new environment on campus, we have to put in that work to reclaim our identity and cultural belonging,” said Ochoa.

“I think it’s important for students to come here and get a full spectrum of Métis culture and what it entails.”

Since 2022, Ochoa has served as an executive member of the MSU, and for the past year, has been the MSU President.

The student group works to promote Métis culture and community on campus in a variety of ways that allow students to reclaim their culture, said Ochoa. They have hosted Lunch & Learns with various Métis leaders and scholars, as well as cooking classes with traditional Métis food, hands-on cultural workshops on painting, beading, ribbon skirt and shirt-making, and attending external events together around the community.

She said the goal is to create a sense of belonging and connection with Métis students around campus.

“We have a lot of students that feel like imposters, due to the fact that they didn’t grow up around Métis culture or think they don’t look Métis enough. They come in believing they don’t belong. Then they see there’s such a wide spread of Métis people and hear these same stories of feeling like imposters,” said Ochoa.

“They leave feeling like what they’re going through is valid, and that there is a place here where they belong.”

Ochoa said the MSU has grown exponentially every year since its inception.

Ryan Richard served as Vice-President of Internal Affairs for almost two years at the MSU, and said Ochoa has a passion for helping her fellow students through various initiatives, including a Christmas hamper project that provided hampers to around 70 students.

“The amount of initiatives she started and completed is commendable, especially while maintaining her grades in honours and her other volunteer work. She has a big heart for helping students,” said Richard.

“She is not only a model student but a very caring Métis leader. I’m excited to see what she does in the coming years. If we all were just a bit more like Chelsea, the world would be so much better off.”

In the coming years, Ochoa wants to continue her advocacy with Métis communities. After her convocation this spring, Ochoa wants to help provide better access to mental health resources for Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan.

“There’s a lot of dark things going on in the news, and with the intergenerational trauma that Indigenous people have experienced – having places where people can access mental health resources is very important,” she said.

Ochoa said she finds that Indigenous people can sometimes have their experiences downplayed in systems that don’t understand their specific experiences.

“Healthcare, especially psychological resources for mental health, are really lacking here in Saskatchewan. Having those resources is important, with Indigenous people in those space to validate those who understand their experiences.”

As her time with the MSU winds down, Ochoa said she looks forward to leaving the group in the hands of the next generation of young leaders. Seeing these young leaders go from first-year students full of uncertainty and doubt, to strong leaders in their community, has been the most rewarding part of her time with the MSU.

“I really hope that the work I’ve done here can make people feel welcome and have a sense of belonging,” said Ochoa.

“The most meaningful is when first-year students starting to come to multiple events – it solidifies that they found their community here.”