Few people can say they’ve been on a professional journey quite like Coline Casey.
The new Director of Indigenous Education has been an NLC student, part of the support staff, and leadership.
Coline’s NLC journey began in 2013, when she took the Applied Business Technology program. It was during that time Coline met her mentor, Theresa Gladue, who shared Indigenous teachings with Coline and helped her learn more about her Cree Métis heritage.
“When we did our orientation, we came to the gathering place and [Theresa] was like, ‘welcome, we do drop-in drumming, we do introductory Cree,’ and I was just like, where have you been all of my life?” she said. “I had some connection to my culture for the first time ever through NLC, and that’s one of the reasons it’s near and dear to my heart.”
When she and her husband decided they wanted to start an apiary, raise honeybees, and sell the honey, she figured it would help if one of them had the knowledge of how to run a business. So, she headed right back to NLC to take Business Management. During that time, she was determined to keep that connection to her culture.
Coline joined the board of the Nawican Friendship Centre, ran strong women’s groups, and continued drumming whenever she could. That dedication led to her receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Inclusion and Reconciliation. She was also chosen as valedictorian that year as well.
“So I want…to see how we can bring events, powwows, tea dances, different things, and really utilize that Cultural Arbour and showcase at the same time all the different opportunities that NLC has to offer,
Coline liked NLC so much that she decided to apply when a student recruiter position opened up after graduation. She not only got the job, she was sent out into the community almost immediately — the Fort St. John International Air Show happened to be that weekend.
“I was doing all these different things, and I was so paranoid I was going to get a speeding ticket in a fleet vehicle,” she said with a laugh.
Coline became a well-known face in all of NLC’s communities; she travelled to all points in Northeast BC, talking to high school students and their parents about their post-secondary options. The recruitment team grew in that time, and when the role of Manager of Student Recruitment came up, it felt like a natural move for Coline.
The first thing Scott Clerk, Associate VP, did was send her to Ontario for the Strategic Enrolment Marketing Management conference.
“My first week in that position, I was travelling for the first time in my entire life by myself to Toronto,” she said. “That was just a huge experience…it was a growing moment, and it was good.”
Officially taking charge, Coline helped NLC branch out even further, resulting in an increase in domestic enrolment. She kept her cultural ties by working closely with the then-Director of Indigenous Education, and the collaboration between the two departments led to an increase in Indigenous enrolment as well.
“With recruitment, I think I had a bit of a unique experience that I was one of the only few staff that travelled to all the campuses, chat with all the staff, we overlap everywhere,” she said. “If it’s access services, if it’s admissions, if it’s marketing, we have to work super closely together. I think that gave me a really solid foundation of everything about the college.”
While she enjoyed the work she did in recruitment, Coline really loved working with Indigenous students and communities. When the position opened up, Coline didn’t hesitate to put her name in for the role of Director of Indigenous Education.
She wants to continue to work with recruitment on building relationships with Indigenous communities, as well as have more representation on campus so Indigenous students have a sense of belonging beyond the Gathering Places. She’s especially excited for the completion of the Cultural Arbour on the Dawson Creek campus.
“So I want…to see how we can bring events, powwows, tea dances, different things, and really utilize that Cultural Arbour and showcase at the same time all the different opportunities that NLC has to offer,” she said.
“It’s going to be a good time. I’m super ready for it.”
Learn more about Indigenous Education at NLC by visiting nlc.bc.ca/indigenous-students-why-nlc