College in the city didn't work for me. I needed to be in my community
CBC
This First Person article is the experience of Ethan MacLeod, a graduate of the first cohort of the Iyeskuwiiu Springboard to Diploma of College Studies program.
For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
The first time I heard about the Iyeskuwiiu program, which means "to get ready" in East James Bay Cree, was when my mom told me about it in the living room.
A few months earlier, I had moved back home to Mistissini, a First Nations community near the southeast corner of Lake Mistissini, the largest natural lake in Quebec.
I tried to study a music program at Algonquin College near Ottawa, which I loved, but it did not work out for me. After three months in the city, I was depressed and isolated because of the pandemic. I was also homesick, and lonely.
Back home at my parents, working a job I had no passion for, I was anxious to move on with my life and continue my education.
The Iyeskuwiiu Springboard to Diploma of College Studies Program is a one-year, online and in-person program run by the Cree School Board and John Abbott College. I could attend most classes online in Mistissini and would get to travel to other Cree communities for some in-person Cree culture classes on the land.
I saw it as a chance and opportunity to continue my education and to prove to myself that I am capable.
After not completing my last program, I felt I failed myself. I saw this as a big challenge that I was ready for. I did not want to fail myself again.
Being around friends and family in Mistissini helped me focus on my studies, which I am thankful for.
Our studies began at the beginning of August 2021 and ended in May 2022. Throughout the program, I made new friends who logged on from different Cree communities in James Bay. All the classes were done through Microsoft Teams, which I was fine and familiar with.
In the middle of the second semester, on March 8, I became a new father with the birth of my daughter, Nevaeh MacLeod. Everything at the time was perfect. I was able to focus on my studies and take care of my newborn baby with the help of my family and my community.
The Iyeskuwiiu program helped me a lot.
It helped me develop necessary skills to prepare me for post-secondary, while getting community college level credits and staying in my home community.