Originally from Behchoko, the last time Makayla Mantla returned to the NWT for the first time since 2012 was for her grandfather's funeral.
Between 2012 and now, Mantla's kept herself busy in Edmonton. She's a third-year nursing student at the University of Alberta.
"I would love to go back," Mantla said about returning home to the NWT. "We lived in a really old, brown broken-down home and I would love to stand in front of it with my nursing gear and my 'U of A' gown and cap."
She added that she's on track to graduate in June 2026, but wouldn't mind spending more time in the territory before then to help her remember where she came from.
Apart from nursing, one of Mantla's life goals is to become a motivational speaker for Indigenous people. The reason, she said, would be to inspire Indigenous youth.
"We do have a lot of Elders and that's amazing, but there's no one that's younger that can relate to a younger crowd," Mantla explained. "The same dream I have about being a registered nurse who graduates from the University of Alberta or my dream about being a motivational speaker for my people, that dream is probably stuck in another Indigenous person."
Mantla looks forward to the day she can reach out to more Indigenous youth, especially ones who have never left their community or reserve.
"I think me coming back would be a way for them to realize they can have a better quality of life, they can end the cycle of poverty," she said. "I think, just historically, what it seems like, the reserve was meant to keep us there. And for a long time, historically, we were never allowed to leave."
Her parent's decision to leave Behchoko and move to Edmonton for a better quality of life, Mantla said, is something she's grateful for to this day. For her future, she has some speeches lined up. She said she's scheduled to give a presentation to an Indigenous-focused school in Edmonton in September.
"I know that will be so rewarding and fulfilling to motivate that younger generation," she said.
The NWT might not be a forever home for Mantla, but after completing her studies, she said she'd be interested working at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife.
"I would love to go back and work there, volunteer there, just to understand more."
