Creating a sense of belonging for Indigenous students

The Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) at Simon Fraser University (SFU) provides support and community for Indigenous students navigating university life. Guided by the four pillars of Respect, Reciprocity, Trust and Humility, the ISC team creates a holistic support system tailored to Indigenous students' unique needs.

The ISC won SFU's 2023 SFU Staff Achievement Award for Team Service in recognition of their work fostering a caring, connected community that celebrates Indigenous students' successes. The dedicated team includes ten staff members and nine Indigenous Student Ambassadors. The staff members are Elizabeth Adams (Nisga’a), Treena Chambers (Métis), Tanu Gamble (Haida, Tsimshian), Jasmin Glaw (Algonquin), Audrey Heath (Gitxsan), Kimberley John (Shíshálh), Jessica La Rochelle (Stó:lō, Okanagan, Trinidadian), Jennifer Reandy (Cree), Kaylena Ryan (Secwepemc, Gitxsan, Tsimshian), and Gordon Yusko.

Associate Director Kaylena Ryan highlights the challenge many Indigenous students face when transitioning to SFU. "It's a culture shock for our Indigenous students that travel from their home communities to the Lower Mainland for school. Navigating a large institution like SFU can be overwhelming,” she says. The ISC welcomes new and returning students, helping them find belonging and assistance.

“Our work begins the first week of the term with our Welcome Feast and ends with the Honouring Feast to celebrate each Indigenous graduate,” Ryan adds. “It’s fulfilling work.”

The ISC provides safe spaces on the SFU Burnaby and SFU Surrey campuses where Indigenous students can study, access supports, or hang out. Audrey Heath, an Indigenous Student Life Coordinator, emphasizes the centre's foundational pillars. “This allows us to offer safe spaces for connecting with peers, support staff, counsellors, Elders, and the community. Whether through casual conversation, a meal, or learning a new skill, all our work centers around our students’ needs.”

Treena Chambers, also an Indigenous Student Life Coordinator, shares her perspective as a former student and now an ISC employee. “As a student, the ISC offered me a comfortable place to make friends. Joining the ISC as an employee, I have been excited to work with my colleagues to ensure ongoing supports for students. We have set up food supports, clothing swaps, and movie viewing events, among other programs.”

The centre’s impact has grown post-pandemic, as Program Administrator Gordon Yusko explains. “After the University reopened, the ISC has become increasingly effective in creating welcoming spaces with programs and interactions that support the academic and personal journeys of Indigenous students. The role of Indigenous Elders and their connections with students has been a vital part of reshaping the SFU experience.”

Director Jessica La Rochelle speaks glowingly of her team and their contributions. “People at SFU constantly tell me how wonderful the ISC team is, and I just smile and say, ‘I know, right?!’ I know we are taught to be humble, but I work with a group of rockstars!”

La Rochelle highlights one of the ISC's standout initiatives: monthly lunches for Indigenous students, faculty, and staff. “These gatherings have transformed the SFU experience by reclaiming space and reinforcing a sense of belonging and connection that was missing for many Indigenous people at SFU. We’ve seen increased participation and engagement across campus, and we’ve been overwhelmed with our colleagues across the university wanting to sponsor the lunches and share information with the SFU Indigenous community.”

There are other benefits to the lunches. “It’s also been a wonderful opportunity for SFU to support Indigenous caterers and showcase amazing current students by inviting them to display and sell their beadwork, artwork and crafts,” La Rochelle shares. “We have so many talented students!”

The team has other ways of demonstrating their respect for Indigenous talent and creativity. Jasmin Glaw, another Indigenous Student Life Coordinator, underscores the deeper importance of their fashion choices. “Indigenous fashion, art, and design holds such reverence in its way of illustrating and sharing stories of our peoples. Through these fashion choices, we can show up and represent our communities, histories, familial ties and more. In this way, we are further able to communicate who we are and where we come from.”

The ISC team’s efforts ensure that Indigenous students at SFU have the support, resources, and sense of belonging they need to thrive. Chambers sums up the sentiment of her whole team by saying, “Being recognized for community contributions as a team feels amazing. It validates the hard work and dedication the ISC puts into supporting our Indigenous community on campus.”

For more information about the Indigenous Student Centre at SFU, click here.