INUIT
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n September 2009, Teevi Mackay from the Inuit territory of Nunavut, and Kris Odjick of Kitigan Zibi, a First Nations community (located in Quebec) commenced their first year of studies at Carleton University in the Aboriginal Enriched Support Program. Teevi and Kris registered in two university-credit courses of their choice, and the AESP Aboriginal Studies first year seminar course (the required course for all AESP students). Both also registered in two course workshops directly related to their elective courses. AESP workshops are designed to help students develop study habits and help prepare them for final exams. AESP provides students with academic supports that include academic advisors, course facilitators, writing coaches, and peer mentors. Both Teevi and Kris are parents to young children and have successfully completed their first year of university studies with AESP. Upon completing AESP, Teevi earned admission to a Bachelor of Journalism/Political Science and Kris was admitted to the B.A. Honours in Sociology with a minor in Anthropology. They kindly agreed to share with us their experiences as AESP students:
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Q: How did you hear about the Aboriginal Enriched Support Program at Carleton University? TM: I heard about the Aboriginal Enriched Support Program through the Inuksuk High School Counsellor in Iqaluit, Nunavut. KO: A friend of mine who is involved with the program gave me a heads up about the program and described to me how it all worked. It was appealing to me to attempt a return to school with the help and resources the program offered. Q: As current AESP students at Carleton University, can you tell us what some of the challenges are as a first year university student? TM: One major challenge was getting acquainted with the University campus and learning about and using all the resources that are available. It is important to take advantage of these resources since they help you succeed academically. continued on page 39