Diane Kunnuk, a 15-year-old Grade 11 student at Iglulik High School, is one of two 2024 'Your Voice is Power' national music competition winners.

She beat out over 25,000 students and teachers across Canada to earn a $5,000 university scholarship. That was part of her prize for remixing 21 song elements from artists such as Jayli Wolf and Dakota Bear.

Your Voice is Power is a project launched by Amazon Future Engineer, Amazon Music and TakingITGlobal that teaches the basics of computer science while engaging Canadian students in discussions on the First Nations, Inuit, and M茅tis experience. It's part of an in-school curriculum that develops computer coding skills among middle and high school students while encouraging these cultural discussions.

SA国际影视传媒淧articipating in Your Voice is Power made me reflect on the damage of child removal on generations of Indigenous people, and the need to reclaim our culture,SA国际影视传媒� said Kunnuk, reflecting on the legacy of Indigenous children being removed from their homes and cut off from traditional practices and languages.

Students have the opportunity to remix music from leading Indigenous artists using the EarSketch coding platform. They can then enter their remixes in the national competition which is judged by a panel of experts from the music industry and academia. The program launched for the 2024-2025 academic year on Sept. 25.

Kunnuk said Tiktok trends influenced her the most in her taste and choice of music.

"My favourite genres are alternative folk, like British singer-songwriter Paris Paloma, who sings 'Labour,' and YaelokreSA国际影视传媒檚 'Harpy Hare' [a storybook narration with folk and acoustic music]."

She also described her creative process in-depth.

"I started by creating the drumbeats. I listened, and thought it was good. That inspired me to add the lyrics. At school, we have been learning all about the sufferings of children at residential schools in the past. Then I searched for Indigenous artists with lyrics that touched me most, such as fathers being taken away to jail or having your babies stolen."

Kunnuk said her teacher in Iglulik, Dawna Stewart, encouraged her to enter the contest.

"[She] told me I had a good chance to win, so she gave me the confidence to work hard and submit my song."

Although Kunnuk had some formal musical training on the violin at age 12, there wasn't another music teacher at her school in Iglulik to offer further guidance in the subject.

"By the time I had another opportunity, I had a job [working] at the store."

With her prize money, Kunnuk intends to pursue post-secondary education.

"I would like to go away to school, maybe to learn more about art. I am also interested biology. I like dissecting animals and learning all about them."