Amanda White ‘08 is now committed to broadening the understanding of the Indigenous community at the college.

As the project lead for Mohawk’s Pathfinder program, Amanda White (née Collina) ‘08 spent the past seven years helping Aboriginal youth in Hamilton connect with their Indigenous roots. As someone who grew up unaware of her own Indigenous heritage, White understood what Mohawk seeks to achieve through Pathfinder. 

“I wasn’t raised with ceremonies or teachings,” says White. “I didn’t know a lot about Indigenous culture. I knew I was part Indigenous and heard stories, but I didn’t get a lot of information [from my family].” 

In her final semester of the Event Management program, White connected with what was then called Aboriginal Education and Student Services (AESS), renamed Indigenous Education & Student Services in 2017. Having graduated from Graphic Design Creative in 2008 and Comic Design and Scripting in 2009, this was White’s third time studying at Mohawk. 

She can’t recall what drove her to go to AESS during her final few months as a student, but whatever the reason, it turned out to be a life-changing decision. It was there that White made connections that resulted in being hired for that Pathfinder job the day after she graduated from her program. AESS was where she also learned the truth about her Indigenous heritage. 

White is Ojibwe. She knew this growing up, but she said her family also thought they were Métis, and that Ojibwe and Métis were one and the same. At Mohawk, White learned the difference between the two Indigenous groups and was able to learn more about her family history. “It was a huge shock. I felt that I should’ve known more,” says White. 

Working with Pathfinder was a chance to help other Aboriginal youth connect with their past and show them what a college education has to offer. A few of the Pathfinder students that White first met seven years ago have since gone on to college as a result of the program. “It’s incredible to see that,” she says. 

White is now Manager of Indigenous Student Services at the college, where she oversees a team of people who are committed to broadening the understanding of the Indigenous community and experience among Mohawk’s Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and staff. 

There are more than 400 Indigenous students attending Mohawk at any given time, and White says those are only the ones the college knows about. The role of Indigenous Student Services is to provide those students with a ‘home away from home’ at Mohawk. 

In addition to workshops and counselling, Indigenous Student Services also offers innovative services such as the Elder as Resource program, which is available to offer additional spiritual and cultural support to the college’s students and staff. Elders have been invited to lead talking circles, as well as provide staff and faculty with an opportunity for multicultural awareness and education. 

Looking ahead, White says the department is focusing on Truth and Reconciliation and the role Mohawk can play in addressing the challenges identified through that process. The Indigenous Education & Student Services staff are leading the implementation of the Indigenous Education Protocol that Mohawk signed with Colleges and Institutes Canada. 

Mohawk’s Indigenous Education & Student Services department isn’t unique among colleges and universities, said White. Most institutions have something similar in place. Part of what makes Mohawk unique is the college’s commitment to Indigenous education. 

“I felt really lucky when I got hired at Mohawk.” 

By: Sean Coffey

This story was originally published in Spring 2018 of the Mohawk Alumni In Touch magazine.