A UNBC alumnus has received a prestigious honour only 15 graduate students receive each year across Canada.
Spencer Greening has been selected for a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Doctoral Scholarship, an organization that helps students pursue to make societal change through academia.
Greening, a Ph.D. candidate at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and member of the Gitga’at First Nation in Northwest BC, went back to his home during his time at UNBC, where he discovered a way to combine traditional Tsimshian knowledge with western academic practices in order to enrich the value of the nation history.
He admits this recognition puts him in a difficult position considering his cultural background.
“My heart is really the happiest when I’m back home working with my community, being on the land, and researching with my elders, but I also see that my role is to have a voice in this other place, and whether that’s in the political setting or a research setting or an academic setting, this place in my journey is about me finding that balance.”
His research is also based on Indigenous territorial management, which he believes resonates with any First Nations across the country, due to the ‘inadequate relationship’ between governments.
Despite being in western academics, community support is what allowed Greening to accept the scholarship.
“I wasn’t necessarily seeing myself as a person who deserves a seat at the table but once I got in, I really started to see that I do have a voice and how I help others in their research much like their research is helping me,” said Greening.
“We have very diverse discussions around how to use our research to make society a better place. You know, all of us come from unique backgrounds that we allow for a great connections and how we make academic theorizing a reality. We all have our own success stories and our own struggles in school so far.”
He says adjusting to colonial education for most Indigenous people, especially young children,is never easy, but also believes progressing in academia should be a priority for all.
Greening completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in First Nations Studies and a Masters of Arts degree in 2018 for Interdisciplinary Studies.
Congratulations to the new #PETFscholars and welcome to the #community! https://t.co/afz3vifQ0z @BillyRayB @MKaramouzian @DialaLteif @j_badchild @PhoebeStephens @LeehiYona @Carleton_U @UAlberta @RyersonU @SFU @UBC @UofT @UQAM @mcgillu @UniofOxford @UWaterloo @Stanford @Yale pic.twitter.com/zwPQyTdQSU
— Trudeau Foundation (@F_Trudeau_F) June 21, 2018
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