Introduction
My name is Alex DeGagne, I am the Indigenous recruitment and partnership specialist for the University of Waterloo. I work in the marketing and undergraduate recruitment team, which has been an incredible experience thus far. My hope is to continue working with this amazing group to help as many Indigenous students pursue their post-secondary education.
My
Indigenous
heritage
goes
back
to
a
small
community
near
Fort
Frances,
Ontario
known
as
Animakee
Wa
Zhing
#37,
formally
known
as
Northwest
Angle
37.
I
am
of
mixed
ancestry
with
my
Indigenous
roots
coming
from
my
father’s
side,
while
my
mother
is
from
Michigan
with
European
ancestry.
Most
of
my
young
life
was
surrounded
around
lacrosse,
both
coaching
and
playing.
My
career
took
me
all
over
Canada,
United
States,
and
parts
of
Europe
where
I
have
had
the
opportunity
to
grow
in
this
great
game
I
love.
I
was
fortunate
enough
to
earn
a
division
one
scholarship
to
Rutgers
University
in
New
Jersey
as
well
as
the
opportunity
to
win
a
National
Championship
with
Limestone
College
in
South
Carolina.
Most
of
my
time
is
now
spent
enjoying
cottage
weekends
with
friends,
hanging
out
with
my
family
and
girlfriend.
I
am
a
big
fan
of
college
football
and
try
to
catch
a
Michigan
State
Football
game
every
season
with
my
father
who
attended
the
school
when
he
was
studying
for
his
PHD.
He
was
able
to
take
me
there
when
I
was
a
kid
and
this
started
my
obsession
with
sports.
How do you work to support Indigenous People's in the University of Waterloo?
The
great
thing
about
Waterloo
is
that
we
have
so
many
resources
available
for
our
Indigenous
students.
We
can
support
them
through
so
many
avenues
from
the
time
they
apply,
during
their
studies
and
after
graduation.
In
my
personal
position,
I
support
future
UWaterloo
Indigenous
students
through
the
recruitment
process.
I
answer
any
question
they
might
have
about
resources
we
offer,
school
programs,
clubs,
athletics,
or
any
issues
they
may
have.
I
am
the
one
stop
shop
for
all
Indigenous
information,
and
if
I
don’t
know
the
answer,
we
have
an
amazing
team
to
assist
our
students
further.
My
focus
is
to
show
all
the
great
aspects
we
offer
at
the
University
of
Waterloo.
I
want
to
provide
Indigenous
students
with
everything
they
need
to
make
the
best
decision
possible
for
them.
I
also
work
on
a
multitude
of
projects
behind
the
scenes
trying
to
make
the
post-secondary
transition
as
easy
as
possible.
I
am
currently
working
on
a
brochure
for
Indigenous
students
to
ensure
they
are
getting
the
most
updated
information.
Planning
for
summer
camps
and
events
that
add
Indigenous
representation
to
the
campus
is
a
priority
for
my
portfolio.
Creating
new
spaces
for
students
to
feel
safe
and
respected
in,
while
giving
them
the
opportunity
to
continue
learning
about
their
culture
and
build
upon
existing
knowledge.
In the coming years, what role would you like to see your university or workplace(s) play in educating others about Indigenous peoples?
Waterloo
is
making
amazing
strides
in
building
upon
the
already
amazing
resources
we
have
for
our
students.
We
have
hired
new
staff
and
faculty,
increasing
our
physical
resources
to
better
serve
our
community.
It
is
not
just
new
faculty
and
staff
hires
but
also
the
recent
hiring
of
Elders
to
better
facilitate
a
wholistic
education
for
our
Indigenous
students.
The
hiring
of
new
Indigenous
individuals
brings
conversations
to
the
University
that
maybe
weren’t
happening
before.
Creating
new
ways
to
educate
our
students
about
the
history
of
Indigenous
peoples
and
the
unfortunate
traumas
that
come
with
that.
We
are
now
in
a
better
position
to
advocate
on
behalf
of
the
students
to
continue
building
a
strong
community
where
Indigenous
students
feel
welcome.
I
think
there
are
a
lot
of
ways
we
can
continue
to
educate
faculty/staff/students
on
Indigenous
peoples.
Continuing
to
bring
in
great
speakers
that
talk
about
their
personal
experiences
and
background.
Creating
physical
spaces
on
campus
to
use
as
learning
tools
when
we
are
giving
tours
to
students.
This
may
be
wishful
thinking
but
making
an
Indigenous
history
course
mandatory
as
part
of
first
year
classes
to
give
students
a
better
understanding
of
the
lands
being
used
by
the
University.
Community
participation
in
Indigenous
events
taking
place
on
campus
or
in
the
community
to
show
support.
The
future
is
bright
for
Indigenous
students
who
wish
to
apply
to
Waterloo.
We
have
a
growing
group
of
passionate
individuals
looking
to
support
your
aspirations
and
see
you
through
your
goals.