Exploring a future in postsecondary

Over Reading Week, the regular hustle and bustle of students attending classes in the Business building was replaced by a group of more than 80 Indigenous high school students eager to learn about the opportunities available to them at the U of A. 

The visit, which took place on February 21, was made possible by a partnership between the Alberta School of Business and Junior Achievement (JA) Northern Alberta & NWT that has been in place since 2022.

The three-year partnership aims to bring 400-500 students to campus each year to participate in immersive one-day business program and learning experiences.

"One of our goals as a faculty was also to increase our Indigenous enrolment, and so we made it a goal for a portion of the JA visits to include Indigenous students,” says Olivia Murray, the curriculum coordinator with the Alberta School of Business Office of Education. 

Last week’s visit was the third time Junior Achievement coordinated with the Braided Journeys program to bring Indigenous students to the U of A. 

The Braided Journeys Student Support Centres are located in a number of elementary, junior and senior high schools in the Edmonton Catholic School Division to offer support and guidance to Indigenous students throughout their educational journey. 

Working with Junior Achievement and Braided Journeys has been an exciting collaboration for the School. 

“This has been one of our biggest opportunities to bring Indigenous students to campus,” says Gil Anderson, Indigenous Programs Coordinator in the School’s Office of Education.

The students’ day began with a smudge and prayer led by Elder Fernie Marty of Papaschase First Nation. They then headed to classrooms to participate in a financial literacy-based program run by business students who have received training from Junior Achievement. The program, called Economics for Success, looks at the advantages of attending postsecondary and what’s needed to succeed in today’s workforce. It covers topics such as budgeting, postsecondary options and future career paths. 

After a lunch catered by local business Tee Pee Treats, students attended a presentation by the Indigenous Recruitment team that included information about the programs and supports available to Indigenous students at the U of A. 

The visit ended with a campus tour led by U of A Ambassadors. Past visits have also included a scavenger hunt that took them to locations like First Peoples’ House and the Sweetgrass Bear statue on quad.

Anderson says he’s received very positive feedback from students who have visited the School through Braided Journeys. He also notes the important role these visits can play in opening students’ eyes to postsecondary education. 

“It’s really good that we get this information out to them because they don’t always get it very easily,” he explains. “Bringing them here and showing them what we have to offer and the supports we have in place, it takes the edge off for them.”

“When we bring them to campus, we’re really able to tailor the day for them and really concretely show them ‘you belong here, we want you to succeed here,’ “ adds Murray. “The way we’ve created the visits, we’ve tried to be really intentional about making them for the students and showing them that they have a spot here if they want it.”

This approach has connected with students, who Murray says have shown great interest and engagement with the recruitment presentation in particular. “They just really want to know more about how to get here.”

Based on the positive feedback, the School plans to continue running programs that provide Indigenous students with a firsthand glimpse at postsecondary opportunities. 

*photography by Christy Dean Photography