Inspiring Indigenous students to careers in STEM

Looking back at eighth grade, if you asked Josephine Laroque what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have said “a social worker”. Because, she adds, that’s a “caregiving job” and one that many of her peers – children growing up in the shadows of the residential school system – planned to pursue.

“Indigenous people are trying to heal,” says Josephine, “yet we’re still dealing with intergenerational trauma and a lifestyle that was pushed onto us. Go into a caregiving role and take care of the kids.”

But in high school, it was her Grade 11 Physics class where she was most engaged and inspired. At the time, she was involved in her school’s Braided Journeys program, which offers guidance and academics support to Indigenous youth. A conversation with her tutor made her think maybe a career in STEM was not that out of reach.

“He would always tell me you have the horsepower to do it. You just need to get the confidence,” Josephine recalls. 

A few years later, Josephine was accepted into the First Peoples’ House Transition Year Program (TYP) at the University of Alberta, which offers academic and cultural resources for Indigenous students starting university. 

“TYP provided me with all the foundations and a community,” says Josephine. “I had the will to go to school every day because I had someone I could talk to about navigating the scary maze of university."

Since 2019, support from EPCOR has helped the program provide resources that contribute to student success, including calculators, laptops, tutoring and food security supports. 

“What do Indigenous students need at university to be successful and how can we step up to support that?” says Robyn Schommer, who leads this partnership on EPCOR’s Community Investment team. “To be successful in school, you need to address the various barriers that may exist.”

Earlier this year, Josephine and several of her peers participated in mock interviews with EPCOR employees. The experience offered students an opportunity to practice interview skills, learn about potential job opportunities and make connections.

Josephine was paired with Kimmee Dart, manager of downtown operations on EPCOR’s electricity team.

“It was so great to hear her perspective of how she grew up and what her hopes and dreams are,” Kimmee recalls. “If you surround yourself with people who have different life experiences, it shapes a different conversation and a different way to approach problems.”

For Josephine, the experience reflected the importance of creating opportunities for Indigenous students in STEM.

Then a few months later, Josephine’s past experience with Braided Journeys came full circle when she participated in a tour of the E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant with students currently in the program. The activity was organized as part of EPCOR’s partnership with CAREERS.

“Life’s going to get hard. You need to finish high school, go to university and apply for TYP and things will work out from there,” Josephine recalls, sharing a conversation she had with some of those students. 

Today, Josephine is studying materials engineering at the U of A. Looking ahead to life after graduation, Josephine’s face lights up as she considers the possibilities. She’s passionate about learning why materials and structures fail and how they can be stronger and more resilient.  Through testing, research and problem-solving, she is interested in creating solutions that improve safety and withstand future challenges.

And while her career pathway has changed, her motivation remains the same. She still wants to help people.

Only now, she sees engineering as another way to care for communities.

“I have a purpose. I have a plan,” she smiles.