My dad was a Sixties Scoop survivor who was raised by a white Mormon family, and when my mom passed away when I was seven, I went to live with them. During my first time in university, I was 18, had just left that organized religion and was exploring life. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have gone to university that first time. I had no sense of direction; I was going through a lot and ended up having to withdraw.

Years later, I was thinking about what I wanted to do and how I could make a difference in other people’s lives when I remembered the speech therapist I had when I was little and lived on the reserve. I had a lisp and was 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.

I want to do the same for other children – to help them speak out and be understood. 

I’m the only Indigenous person in my program, and I don’t see a lot of Indigenous speech-language pathologists or speech-language pathologist assistants. When I graduate, I’m thinking about working in northern and Indigenous communities. I want to be there for children to ensure they’re safe and feel seen. To be their cheerleader.

– Caitlin Semaganis, Student, Speech Language Pathologist Assistant diploma program