Mathilda (Matty) Chillihitzia played high school rugby with an edge.
“Rugby, you know it’s rough,” says the geography student from Upper Nicola Band. “But when I got into my zone, I just focused on the game.”
Arriving at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in the fall of 2011, Matty found herself on a new playing field – one that surprisingly felt rougher than rugby. “When I first came to the school I was scared, like every first-year student is,” she remembers. “I felt alone.”
As a first year student at TRU, it was anything but sure that Matty was going to reach her educational goal. About half of Aboriginal students quit TRU before graduating; most during their first year.
It turns out that education is also a team sport. And with a little help from the Aboriginal Mentors Program, Matty has found her game at TRU.
Vernie Clement (Lhoosk’uz Dene Nation) is the mentor coordinator. He began working with Aboriginal students when he was in Grade 11 at North Kamloops Secondary School. “A few of the support workers thought that I’d be a good peer tutor, so they threw me into that program,” he recalled with a smile.
Arriving at TRU as “someone with more questions than answers,” Vernie chose business studies as the way to broaden his knowledge base. He soon realized that there wasn’t the same support at TRU as there’d been at North Kam. Luckily, he became friends with a student who became “a mentor to me. He was in the business program, but connected to his culture too.”
Vernie then joined the First Nations Student Society. He also became part of a group of Aboriginal students who took the initiative to mentor others. “When we’d see each other and see that something was wrong, we helped each other out,” he said. “It was a natural thing to do. We saw the need, so we stepped in and took control.”
This mentoring tradition continued the night that Matty happened to meet Alexa Manuel (Upper Nicola Band) and Bernie Gilbert (T’exelc). “We were going to the Gathering Place to study,” Bernie recalls. “I could tell that Matty wanted to join us, so I invited her.”
“Bernie took me under his wing,” said Matty. He helped her with academic skills like organizing her assignments, as well as “the little things, like, if you have a reading that’s due next week, finish it, so that you have the extra time,” she added.
“I was challenging her to be better for herself,” said Bernie. Encouraged by Alexa, Bernie and Jan Petrar at TRU Study Abroad, Matty decided to travel to Australia for four months of study at Southern Cross University. She remembers it as “the greatest experience of my life.”
“There’ve been countless times that I’ve been labelled as the sole mentor for Matty,” said Bernie. “But Alexa had just as much of an influence on her as I did.”
What inspired them to look out for Matty? Bernie and Alexa were concerned about the number of Aboriginal students who don’t finish first year. They were determined that Matty’s first year would be the foundation for future success.
Their efforts were rewarded. “She had a genuine thirst for knowledge and guidance,” said Bernie. “Matty made sacrifices to study. She was right beside us at the campus library for late Friday nights, and early on Saturday and Sunday mornings.”
Today, Matty is focused on her studies, as well as, her new responsibilities as a TRU Aboriginal mentor. “She’s a role model, recognized by the children in her community for her accomplishments,” said Bernie.
Matty’s success is just one sign of improving prospects for Aboriginal students.
Aboriginal TRU START is a program where high school students earn university credits in three core courses (English, Biology and Statistics). “The goal is to provide them with the skills and confidence to make the transition to university life,” said Vernie Clement.
Last year, 12 students received passing grades in 35 of 36 classes. Currently, there are 17 students in the program. Vernie credits the cooperation between School District #73 and TRU faculty and staff for the students’ achievements.
On campus, Vernie sees Aboriginal students using The Gathering Place “more than ever. Traffic is steady; the mentors keep it open in the evening.” He also feels that Aboriginal students are “speaking up more and taking ownership of their education.”
Initiatives like TRU START and the mentor program are new, and research continues, still “We know that we’re making a difference. Our students have told us that,” said Vernie. “We have success stories. We have students making it through.”
Walter Quinlan (February, 2013)