Finding the right fit

All of her life, Sage Marshall has felt a strong connection to her Aboriginal heritage, traditions and her community. Her father grew up in an Algonquin community in Quebec, her mother in a Mi’kmaq community in Cape Breton, N.S. That perhaps explains why, enrolling in a post-secondary program in Ottawa after high school, she found herself missing her family and community.

That’s when she discovered the Aboriginal Health Sciences Success (AHSS) program at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Agriculture, hearing about it from a friend. The program aims to provide Aboriginal students with a pathway into careers and further studies in the health sciences, while also instructing non-Aboriginal health-care students on historical and cultural issues of importance to Aboriginal patients.

Now enrolled in the two-year program, Sage is re-energized by the opportunities in front of her and the range of subjects she’s learning.

“In the first year you get such a mix of different courses. It really helps you figure out what you might want to do for your career,” she explains.

In the first year, students are enrolled in three of Dalhousie’s credit courses and two university prep courses. In the second year, students complete credit courses in the fall and winter terms, which prepare them to continue on to full-time studies in the health professions, health sciences, science or agriculture.

Supportive community

Art Stevens, coordinator of the AHSS program, works with students like Sage to make sure their transition to Dal’s Truro campus is smooth and that they feel supported throughout their time here.

“This program opens doors to students from Aboriginal communities and opens their eyes to a range of career paths,” says Stevens. “We’re here to make sure that students are successful in that transition from high school to university — and that they feel welcomed and supported and receive a quality education.”

Sage credits her success to people like Stevens who are also from Aboriginal communities and who give her the kind of educational and emotional support she needs to excel in her courses. “They’re there to steer you in a direction that’s more comfortable for you,” she says. “They also appreciate where you’re coming from and the kinds of extra supports you might need to make the transition to university life easier.”

Sage also credits her academic success to her professors who offer one-on-one attention. Sage hopes to become a teacher, too, and educate young people about Aboriginal history and its profound impact on our nation’s history. Before she becomes a teacher in the classroom, Sage recognizes, as the oldest sibling in her family, that teaching starts at home.

“I have a responsibility to teach my own siblings about our Aboriginal history and also to teach them about the endless opportunities in front of them if they pursue an education. I want my younger siblings to see that their bigger sister did it so they can do it, too.”