Meet the 2020 Emerging Leaders – Part 2

For part two of the Meet the 2020 Emerging Leaders series we focus on some of the Indigenous leaders that are a part of the strong Indigenous community at the University of Manitoba. Let us meet them.

Charisma Castel a Rady Faculty of Health Sciences is an undergraduate student who leads as a Faculty Council Representative, and as a member of the Grad Committee in the Community Health Students’ Association. Castel has also been a Peer Mentor with the Neechiwaken program, and a Communications Coordinator for the University of Manitoba Indigenous Students’ Association.  

When asked what inspires her to continue Castel said, “Not only as Indigenous student, but as an Indigenous mother of two, I’ve had to overcome a variety of tough barriers to be here pursuing my educational endeavors 800+ kilometers away from family and friends. Growing up, I did not really have anyone I could look up to and reference when questioning my capabilities (besides my mother), therefore I have realized the need for positive role models in the Indigenous community is high. Knowing I could be even the slightest bit of inspiration for anyone who may doubt themselves definitely plays a big factor in my need to succeed. On top of that, my greatest inspiration truly comes from my children. I want them to know that if mom was capable, they’re more than capable too.”

Danielle Desjarlais from the Faculty of Architecture during the 2019-2020 school year has been collaborating with CAFÉ Prairie in the Faculty of Architecture to organize an event called Nation-to-Nation: A Conversation on Indigenous Principles, Perspectives, and Practices in Shaping Canada’s Architecture event. The purpose of this event was to provide Indigenous voices space of Architecture policy. As a member of the Indigenous Circle of Empowerment (ICE), Desjarlais has also learned how to harness her voice as a Cree woman and Architecture student through the opportunity to attend Speechcraft sessions with Toastmasters. Desjarlais has served as representative for the Indigenous Design and Planning Students Association (IDPSA), and the Indigenous Student Representative for both the University of Manitoba Association of Architecture Students (UMAAS), as well as the Student Architectural Society (SAS). 

When asked about what she has learned through your leadership involvement at the University of Manitoba Desjarlais stated, “When the pandemic was announced, I was unexpectedly given time and space to reflect on what kind of leader I want to be and what my role is in moving our society forward. I began to develop an understanding to what leadership means for me; I believe the fundamentals of leadership should come from moving through life with a good heart and continuing to walk through life with grace, patience, and understanding, while simultaneously being proud of your own identity and culture. I would also like to mention how our women are strong, humble, and silent leaders, especially within our Indigenous environments; these are the qualities I see to be a powerful foundation for good leadership.”

Angela Soulsby of the College of Nursing has volunteered her time at the Traditional Graduation Powwow and was the Elder assistant at the first Land Based Gathering in 2019. Soulsby is Cree-Metis womxn and Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) member. She is active in the MMF Bison Local, Métis University Students Association (MUSA) and a member of the University of Manitoba Indigenous Students Association, and recent alumni to the Indigenous Circle of Empowerment (ICE) 2019-2020. As Bison Local delegate, Soulsby attended the 51st Annual General Assembly of the Manitoba Metis Federation, as well as the Infinity Women Secretariat. In the spring of 2019, Soulsby participated in the Indigenous Summer Internship Program (ISSIP), and through her position at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, she was also asked to join the Manitoba Primary Network for Member Integrated Healthcare Innovation Network (MPN).

When we asked how the University of Manitoba has supported her leadership journey Soulsby stated, “University of Manitoba supports my leadership journey by making programs such as the Aboriginal Nursing Cohort Initiative (ANCI), the Indigenous Summer Student Internship Program (ISSIP), and the Indigenous Circle of Empowerment (ICE) student leadership development program available to Indigenous students like me. In ANCI, I benefit from smaller class sizes, extra tutoring hours, and weekly tutorials. As part of ISSIP, I took a position at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MHCP) and successfully stayed on as a Research Assistant. In ICE, we focused on leadership skills such as energy management, decision-making, and public speaking. We also met with and held meaningful conversations with Indigenous leaders from various sectors such as healthcare, governance, education, leadership, energy, news, media, and security and, learned teachings from and participated in ceremony with Elders. These programs are vital for our success as Indigenous Peoples. These programs gave me the strength I needed to focus, work hard, and get the grades needed for Nursing.”

Learn more about the Emerging Leader Awards here.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RECIPIENTS:

• Chinenye Akaluka, Faculty of Science
• Aderonke Mariam Akinloye, Asper School of Business
• Arij Al Khafagi, Faculty of Arts
• Ameen Alnaser, Faculty of Science
• Bilal Ansari, Asper School of Business
• Charisma Castel, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences: Health Sciences
• Kyra Cebula, Faculty of Science
• Tabitha Clavecillas, Faculty of Arts
• Nick de Hoop, Faculty of Science
• Danielle Desjarlais, Faculty of Architecture
• Ishaanee Didwania, Faculty of Arts
• Kirsten Fleury, Faculty of Science
• Taylor Galvin, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources
• Jhannine Geronimo, Faculty of Science
• Ava Rose Glesby, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management
• Sari Glow, Faculty of Science
• Avery Hallberg, Faculty of Arts
• Haya Izhar, Faculty of Science
• Sarah Jensen, Science, Faculty of
• Antonina Kandiurin, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences: Health Sciences
• Carlie Kane, Faculty of Arts
• Megha Kaushal, College of Pharmacy, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Ahmed Kidwai, Faculty of Science
• Abby Koch, Price Faculty of Engineering
• Laura Lucas, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources
• Elbereth Luo, Faculty of Arts
• Bruna Maciel, Faculty of Science
• Stephanie Molloy, Faculty of Arts
• Nick Noonan, Robson Hall Faculty of Law
• Oghogho Okoro, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Taylor Orchard, Faculty of Science
• Dhanvi Prajapati, Faculty of Science
• Tony Quach, Asper School of Business
• Bradley Reichardt, Asper School of Business
• Jennifer Simone, Faculty of Science
• Kaylee Smith, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Angela Soulsby, College of Nursing, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Iqra Tariq, Faculty of Science
• Taylor Tutkaluke, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management
• Shayla Welechenko, School of Dental Hygiene, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
• Nathan Wilson, Price Faculty of Engineering
• Samuel Jeffrey Woode-Amissah, Faculty of Arts
• Brandon Wozniak, Faculty of Science

GRADUATE STUDENT RECIPIENTS:

• Kevin Boreskie, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and Rady Faculty of Health Sciences: Applied Health Sciences (PhD candidate)
• Kenneth Brezinski, Price Faculty of Engineering: Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD candidate)
• Jacqueline L. Hay, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management: Applied Health Sciences (PhD candidate)
• Kavisha Mehta, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences (Master’s candidate)
• Anna Mikhailitchenko, Faculty of Science: Biological Sciences (Master’s candidate)
• Shirin Moossavi, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences: Medical Microbiology (PhD candidate)
• Daniel Plourde, Price Faculty of Engineering: Civil Engineering (Master’s candidate)
• Sakib Rahman, Faculty of Science: Physics and Astronomy (PhD candidate)

ZACH UNRAU, COORDINATOR, STUDENT LIFE