A new support position at MacEwan aims to help Indigenous students access the supports and assistance they may need on their post-secondary journeys.

Shannon Cardinal will fill the cross-appointed role between Wellness and Psychological Services (WPS) and kihêw waciston Indigenous Centre. 

Created to strengthen connections between the two areas, the position allows Cardinal to work individually with students through WPS while also contributing to the programming at kihêw waciston. Her work will support all students but with a particular focus on serving MacEwan’s Indigenous community.

“We have our Western ways of understanding healing, engagement and knowing,” says Cardinal. “With this merging, we have an opportunity to get into Indigenous ways of healing and knowing as well.” 

Her own knowledge has been shaped by formal education as well as ceremony, community and lived experience.

“I want to bring all those pieces to the work that I’m doing,” she says. “I’m here to have open learning, an open heart, an open mind and to journey with students.”

The cross-appointment creates an opportunity to more fully integrate Indigenous perspectives on wellness into the ways students are supported at MacEwan.

“I am pleased that we are able to expand and diversify our supports for all MacEwan students, particularly Indigenous students who might need additional help in a new environment,” says Allison Drew-Hassling, associate vice-president, Student Support and Accountability. “We are committed to ensuring our network of student services continues to evolve alongside our growing student population.”

Cardinal earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in Indigenous trauma and resiliency and brings more than 20 years of experience with the Government of Alberta to the new role.

Her ultimate goal is to help students find the people, spaces and resources that can make MacEwan feel a little more like home.