Hometown: Duck Lake, SK
Band: Witchekan Lake First Nation
Program: Primary Care Paramedic certificate
When Autumn first heard about Sask Polytech in high school, she knew she wanted that kind of post-secondary experience. “I wanted the one-on-one with instructors, the smaller classrooms, the hands-on learning,” she says.
That’s just what the First Nations woman found in the Primary Care Paramedic program. “The best thing about Sask Polytech is how much you interact with your instructors and fellow students. The hands-on aspect is wonderful,” she says.
To pursue her education Autumn and her young son had to move from Duck Lake to Saskatoon, leaving family and friends behind. Her first obstacle turned out to be the most stressful—finding childcare. “I tried daycare after daycare, but none of them had room for my son. It got to a point where my only choice was to drop out of my program. I was devastated.”
“I talked to my program head and my Indigenous student advisor about my struggles. My Indigenous student advisor was able to recommend a daycare. My son started the very next day! I was so relieved,” she adds.
Autumn has her eyes on the future. “The feeling of succeeding is amazing,” she says. “When I look back I can see how my education has paid off.”