Hard work pays dividends

Page 11

The good things in life often demand diligence, persistence and clearly-defined goals-good things like graduation.

For Dr. Rosalyn Ing, continuing a lifetime of learning by completing her doctorate in education at the University of British Columbia was not done in pursuit of better career opportunities. She will actually stay on as the co-ordinator of First Nations Health Careers at the university.

Rather, the completion of her PhD was a result of her desire to continue the research she had begun in her master's thesis. Her work was titled Dealing with shame and unresolved trauma: Residential school and its impact on the second and third generation adults.

In addition to Ing's work at UBC, she also spends time sharing her research at various healing conferences, including one being held in Kamloops in July.

Her doctorate took three years to complete, but, at more than 60 years old, is only one of the many accomplishments of the grandmother and mother of two.

"I'm relieved it's done," said Ing. "I'm happy I was able to do that research because I went to residential school myself."

As a Cree from Manitoba, 11 years of Ing's early life were spent in residential schools. Both her work and her accomplishments help provide healing and inspiration for others who attended residential schools.

Lisa C. Ravensbergen just graduated from the theatre arts program at Simon Fraser University as the only Aboriginal student in her class.

"Traditionally in our ceremonies and in life and creativity [First Nations people] tend to veer away from contemporary art practices," said Ravensbergen. "What inspires our work as Aboriginal artists is not often recognized at post-secondary institutes."

Her different perspective was not discouraged, but it took a lot of personal initiative to find her way through the program.

"For me it was really important to balance out all the Euro-pedagogy and Euro-contemporary art practice with something that I recognized at an instinctual, spiritual and emotional level."

Before she returned to school to study theatre, Ravensbergen was the First Nation's program co-ordinator at SFU. She filled that position after completing a degree in English, but it didn't satisfy her needs for creative expression.

"The work I was doing, although it was really important and very exciting, it wasn't feeding my creative impulses and energies the way that I realized I needed," said Ravensbergen. "There's something about the idea of truth and story and how it resonates on the stage, how it develops a relationship with an audience, that's really interesting to me."

Having minored in theatre in her BA studies and being involved in community theatre made the transition to full-time theatre studies a natural one.

Since graduating in April, Ravensbergen's doing some work under Margo Kane of Full Circle First Nations Performance. She is also doing some directing and dramaturgy work.

Before her theatre degree her emphasis was education/community work with theatre on the side, but now the roles are reversed.

"It feels like finally I've got the right mix," said Ravensbergen.