Evangeline Nepoose, attributes strong family ties, good advice and an eagerness to learn for her success.
Evangeline entered Oskayak, in her grade 12 year and it was the cultural activities that impressed her the most. “My grandmother, Edith Nepoose, went to Residential School. So, my mother was not raised knowing her culture.” Neither was Evangeline, her first sweat was in her first semester of Oskayak.
Evangeline was chosen to represent her class, as one of the valedictorians.
“We choose two valedictorians each year, a guy and girl, to honour male and female Spirit,” says Craig Schellenberg, Oskayak’s principal.
“The teachers gathered all the graduating students, into the biology classroom,” says Evangeline. There they chose the two students.
Determining the students coincide with the four domains of the medicine wheel: the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of a person.
Evangeline completed two years of math in one year, she ran in track and field, and she was very inquisitive and participatory when it came to ceremonial life.
Evangeline has completed her first year of Anthropology, at the University of Saskatchewan. She hopes to become a jingle dress dancer, it is a healing dance. She said her grandmother, Edith would like to someday come and watch her dance.
Evangeline’s advice, “Keep moving forward, even if you don’t have a 5-year plan. Take it day by day. Learn something new every day. Hardships are there to teach us and give us experience. They are there also to reflect on.”
