As Misko Kicknosway returns to Western for fall convocation, she’s coming home to the community where she honed the leadership skills she’s now helping to instill in others.
Kicknosway, the former president of Western’s Indigenous Students’ Association (ISA), recently landed a position at the University of Manitoba, as assistant to the director of Indigenous leadership programming.
“It feels like things have come full circle,” Kicknosway said of working on a team that helps create leadership development opportunities for students that are rooted in Indigenous cultures.
“In many ways, it’s continuing the work I did with the ISA, transferring the leadership skills and qualities I built throughout my undergrad, to help provide those experiences for others.”
Kicknosway is an Inuk, Anishinaabe woman from Qamani’tuaq (Baker Lake, Nunavut) and Bkejwanong (Walpole Island, Ont.) the Marten clan, raised in London, Ont.
“I’m very fortunate and proud to have grown up knowing who I am as an Indigenous person,” said Kicknosway, who took part in the annual Indigenous student graduation ceremony at Wampum Learning Lodge earlier this year.
During the event, she shared a special moment with her ‘kookum,’ as the first grandchild of Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) Elder Myrna Kicknosway to attend university.
“It felt like I was closing a chapter,” said Kicknosway, whose leadership journey at Western started the summer before her first year, serving as a mentor for the ISC’s mini-university program.
The experience helped her build lasting relationships within the ISC, a place she visited often as a criminology student at King’s University College, while also earning minors in dance and Indigenous studies on Western’s main campus.
“I didn’t know any other Indigenous students in the beginning, so I hung around the ISC a lot and made amazing friendships. When they needed a first-year rep for the Indigenous Student Association, they encouraged me to apply.”
Once she secured the position, “they were stuck with me,” said Kicknosway, who went on to become ISA culture coordinator before serving as president.
“What made my experience great was the community I built. Most of my favourite memories come from hosting ISA events like our pow wows and round dances. Seeing events through, from the first conversation all the way through to the end, is one of my proudest accomplishments.”
‘Find my voice’
Kicknosway also found satisfaction – and growth – helping others.
“Being part of ISA helped me develop my leadership skills and find my voice. Because it is also a point of contact for different Indigenous student issues, I learned to be confident and comfortable talking to people, advocating for students and addressing concerns.”
Kicknosway also applied her advocacy skills volunteering for Level, a national justice education and human rights charity. She continues that work today, serving on the organization’s advisory board and as the national program facilitator of its Indigenous Youth Outreach Program.
“We offer sessions about how the Canadian legal system works and connect that to traditional Indigenous laws from before colonization. We provide information so in a worst case scenario, if anything happens with the law, youth understand their rights.”
When Kicknosway reflects on her time at Western, she’s grateful for the support offered through the ISC and the assistance of academic advisor Amanda Bragg. “I have to give Mandy a big shout out,” she said. “I don’t know if I would have made it to graduation without her.”
She’s also thankful for the knowledge she gained, which she has taken into her new role.
“Western opened my eyes to the teachings of other Indigenous scholars and what other Indigenous people are doing, not just within Canada or Turtle Island but around the world.”
Kicknosway said she may one day further her studies, and perhaps pursue a career in law. But for now, she’s happy to draw on her own experiences to foster inclusivity and support other Indigenous students and initiatives.
“This job has opened my eyes to see I can help people develop their leadership skills by being a leader myself. Amplifying the voices of Indigenous individuals helps all Indigenous People.”
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Kicknosway will receive her bachelor of arts in criminology with minors in dance and Indigenous studies during Western’s fall convocation ceremonies, Oct. 23 to 25. She joins more than 370,000 Western alumni in 160 countries around the world.