Janice Basque – Supporting Aboriginal Students through Leadership

Janice Basque from We’koqma’q First Nation is a Student Support Officer in Unama’ki College at Cape Breton University, who’s favourite part of the job is working directly with students. She says, “Whether it is through encouragement or providing necessary tools to be successful in their studies, I love that I get to work so closely with Aboriginal youth.”

Still a student herself, Janice is currently working toward her MBA in Community Economic Development, but also holds a Bachelor of Science degree, as well as a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Public Health) degree from CBU. “Through studying here at CBU, I found that the faculty really got to know their students and genuinely wanted their students to be successful, says Janice. “Now as student support here at Unama’ki College, I can see a lot more support services are offered through both at Cape Breton University and Unama’ki College, making success inevitable.”

A proud student, and employee of Unama’ki College, Janice says, “In order to continue to be a leader in Aboriginal education CBU must persistently work on maintaining and building positive relationships with Aboriginal people and their communities.” She adds, “It’s so important to recognize Mi’kmaq History Month not only to learn and educate about our culture, but also to celebrate together the friendships and peace we’ve built among one another.”

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