Ch’nook Scholars program provides community and support for Indigenous Haskayne students
By Lexus Rae, July 15 2024—
The Ch’nook Scholars program was created at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia and is designed to as a community support Indigenous business students in networking and navigating through business spaces. The Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary is a participating university in the program supporting Indigenous students and their greater communities.
In an interview with the Gauntlet, Mick Elliott-Keewatin – Haskayne School of Business PhD student and member of the Ch’nook Scholars program — spoke about his experience and the importance of Indigenous representation in business settings.
“There [have been] very few places that I have been in my career where there is a collection of Indigenous business minds who are dedicated to studying and advancing their education in business, so coming into that space is pretty special,” Elliott-Keewatin said.
Elliott-Keewatin explained that the program is a place where Indigenous business students can come together and share knowledge. The program also fosters community and advances participants’ knowledge of business.
“I feel that my role coming into the program is more like an Elder in training, Elders are pretty well respected and revered in our communities and are knowledge keepers, so having 25 years of experience in the communities I come into the space as a mentor and a role model,” said Elliott-Keewatin.
Elliott-Keewatin shared that not seeing Indigenous representation in classrooms makes it challenging for Indigenous business students to feel like they are not alone. This program provides community for Indigenous students.
“So when you come into the Ch’nook Scholars program and you see all Indigenous faces, all people who are studying business, you see yourself represented in those rooms, so you know that you are not alone,” Elliott-Keewatin continued. “Coming together and creating that community is just so important.”
Canadian systemic and historical racism continues to impact Indigenous students – residential schools and a history of discrimination and socio-economic disadvantages – producing uneven opportunities. Due to these realities and a lack of support Indigenous students can struggle to achieve their educational goals no matter how dedicated they are. Additionally, post secondary staff and educators often do not have enough knowledge of Indigenous history to give Indigenous students a fair education. The Ch’nook Scholars program seeks to remove barriers, increase opportunities and provide support for Indigenous students.
Elliott-Keewatin explained that one of the goals of this program is to motivate other Indigenous business students to pursue further degrees. Elliott-Keewatin also highlighted another goal of the program is to see more Indigenous peoples represented in business schools – as there are currently 10 Indigenous business PhDs in all of Canada.
“This is one of those specialized programs that builds communities, that brings our voices into a space where we have common ground, and where it is safe to talk to some of the encounters that we are engaged in without having concern about reprisal,” said Elliott-Keewatin.
Elliott-Keewatin shared that part of dedication to truth and reconciliation is expanding and maintaining these types of programs. He believes that expanding this program beyond the University of British Columbia and the University of Calgary would make a large impact on Indigenous business students.
“These specialized programs do make a difference [so] instead of closing down funding or cutting back, maintain at least or expand,” Elliott-Keewatin said. “I know we are in a time of austerity and cutting back but specialized Indigenous programming [should] not be one of them.”
More information on the Ch’nook Scholars program can be found on the U of C website.