Freshman university students prepared for a successful learning experience Saturday during the Maadaadizi orientation.
More than 300 Aboriginal students from Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute, Lakehead University and Confederation College celebrated the third annual Maadaadizi orientation event Saturday afternoon in the festival area at Marina Park.
Maadaadizi was created to connect Aboriginal students to supports and services of the post-secondary school in Thunder Bay.
Committee Chair Rita Winter-Duncan said the purpose is to welcome new and continuing students from across Canada to Thunder Bay.
“It’s important,” Winter-Duncan said. “When they come from the Northern communities they have no idea what services are available to them and what kinds of supports are here.”
This year, the event featured a number of information booths from local organizations to help them obtain their post-secondary goals.
“I think the biggest challenge is the culture shock,” she said.
“It’s different from the remote community to coming here, you don’t know what to expect, you are scared, you don’t know anybody and to try and be comfortable with other people it’s hard.”
Winter-Duncan said when she moved to Thunder Bay she needed supports but there was nothing similar to Maadaadizi back in the day.
“Today we have so many different supports, and back in the day you had to find it yourself, you know, look for people that you trust to help you out,” she said.
“I was lucky, I had some people I looked up too.”
