Rebecca Chambers believes in education as an equity vehicle
The scholarship recognizes the academic achievements of Indigenous graduate students and supports their research.
Rebecca’s research focuses on bridging the colonial structure of education with Indigenous concepts of success and advancement. She explains, “My thesis examines current methods of teacher recruitment and how hiring practices can better reflect our understanding of effective teaching. Students learn best when their teachers represent a demographic similar to the school community.”
As a high school teacher in the Pembina Trails School Division, Chambers taught Current Topics in First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies and served as the Indigenous Teacher Champion.
Her work in Indigenous Education is closely tied to her decision to pursue an education degree: “I believe in the power of community and each individual’s capacity for growth and contribution. Education inspires me because, at its core, it is a belief system and a method toward the betterment of all of us as individuals and community members,” Chambers explains.
Chambers, a Master of Education student, Red River Métis from Winnipeg, has family names on Scrip such as Brown, Thomas, and Johnstone. The Indigenous Master’s Scholarship in Education has been a crucial support for Chambers, assisting her in managing tuition and supply fees without impacting her family budget. As a mother of three young children, one of whom has Autism, Rebecca might have had to consider alternative approaches to cover these expenses, potentially leading to a reduction in tutoring hours or other activity fees for her children.