Each spring, MacEwan awards one scholarship and one bursary named after Roxanne Tootoosis, kihêw waciston’s first Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, who passed away in 2021.
The Roxanne Tootoosis nêhiyawêwin Scholarship goes to a Faculty of Arts and Science student who self-declares as an Indigenous person and is the highest achieving student in nêhiyawêwin (Cree) NEHI 101 or 102. The Roxanne Tootoosis Two-Spirit Bursary goes to a student who identifies as ayisiyiniw ôma ohci asiskiy (a human being of this land) and Two-Spirit.
After an intense first year in the Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (SLPA) program, receiving the bursary was welcome news for Caitlin Semaganis.
“I wasn’t able to get funding from my band and had to take out student loans and work part-time to pay tuition. It was a struggle,” says the 34-year-old. “Every month, I hoped I would have enough for rent and groceries. That stress, on top of the stress of school, was a lot.”
Each time she received a bursary, says Semaganis, it felt like a big weight had been lifted.
“Having not been in school for a long time, my first year felt like a lot, but getting a letter that I had earned first-class standing made it feel like all the hard work was paying off.”
Semaganis hopes that hard work will lead her to support children and adults experiencing speech impairments.
“I had a speech therapist when I was younger and living on the reserve. I had a lisp and remember being teased a lot. I didn’t like doing the exercises – they made me feel silly – but in the long run, those exercises allowed me to speak out.”
Semaganis hopes to help children and adults who have speech impairments do the same – to speak out and be understood. Her ultimate goal is to assist a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in northern and Indigenous communities.
“I’m the only Indigenous person in my program, and I don’t see a lot of Indigenous SLPs or SLPAs,” she says. “I just want to be visible as an Indigenous person and as somebody who’s queer. I want to be there for children to ensure they’re safe and feel seen. To be their cheerleader.”