Danielle Pike has big plans for her life after university, but admits leaving her hometown of Norman Wells to pursue her education was challenging at first.
"It was extremely difficult, my first year at university," the 23-year-old said. "I didn't do well at all that first year, academically and mentally, just leaving from such a small community."
Pike started her post-secondary education at the University of Alberta (U of A) in Edmonton SA国际影视传媒� a city of over million people, and a big change from the town of about 700 that she grew up in. She immediately struggled to navigate her new environment, finding it difficult to do important tasks like buying groceries, and as her stress mounted, her grades began to slip.
Eventually, her grade point average got low enough that she was forced to withdraw from her program. For some students, that might have been the end of the road, but Pike didn't give up. She soon returned to her studies through U of A's transition year program, which is designed "for Indigenous students who may not be prepared to enter a faculty through the regular admissions route," according to the school's website. Completing that program set Pike up to continue pursuing a degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver.
"[The transition year program] really did help me to find the resources I needed to support my learning with tutors and writing mentors," she said. "That program did set me up for success for UBC."
Pike is pursuing a bachelor of education at UBC, with the aim of teaching Indigenous students. When she's obtained her degree, she hopes to return to the North to teach for a while, and beyond that, she aims to become a university professor. It's a goal she set for herself when, during an Indigenous knowledge class, she noticed her professor using "the wrong language" while teaching.
Pike is also interested in teaching art classes in a university setting. She is a budding painter, and the hobby has been a source of comfort as she has adjusted to yet another big city SA国际影视传媒� Vancouver SA国际影视传媒� even larger than Edmonton.
"I really, really have a strong passion for art," she said. "I do a lot of painting and drawing."
While things have been going better for Pike in Vancouver, there have indeed been challenges in the city.
"I do find it even more difficult by being farther away from home and seeing even less of friends and family," she admitted. "That's really been the challenging part about living in Vancouver, that I don't know much people."
Despite her continued struggles, Pike still encourages other young people from the NWT to consider pursuing post-secondary studies. It won't be easy for most people, she acknowledged, but it's "definitely, definitely, worth it."
"I've learned a lot these past few years, since I started university," she said. "It was difficult SA国际影视传媒� very difficult SA国际影视传媒� to push through a lot of these challenges, but I slowly overcame them."
Pike has plenty of advice to share after her first few years as a post-secondary student. One thing she encourages students to keep in mind is that moving south to study is indeed a lot to contend with SA国际影视传媒� something she feels her high school teachers could have done a better job impressing on her.
"I do wish maybe during my grade years that it was a bit more transparent about how difficult it was going to be," she said. "Maybe I would have came in with a better mindset. I just never really thought of all these little things that made such a big difference for university and moving out of my community for the first time."
She advises others to do as much research and planning as possible to prepare themselves for the trials of moving south for school, particularly if they have specific individual needs.
"Definitely think about every little thing," she said. "I came in with no plan really.
"I do struggle with a learning disability, and I didn't think about the accommodations universities offer for that. Even something as small as adding more time to exams, it does make a difference. Researching tutors and resources too, and there's a lot of student clubs. There's a lot of resources for Indigenous students at U of A and UBC. U of A has the First Peoples' House, where they really did help me when I was completely lost at university. I didn't know anything and they really helped me. They suggested I do the transition year program, and that really did change everything."
For more stories and a list of scholarships for NWT and Nunavut students, see Degrees of Success here.
