Mother of three going after an engineering degree

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Holly Dillon is a woman with a vision and a sensitive eye for the environment.

Not content to sit still, play it safe and take no risks, she is busy blazing a new trail in her life and education, daring to go where few women and even fewer Native women have gone before.

A gifted student in both the arts and science, Dillon is determined to take on the world, the difficult, competitive world of hard core science and applied math that will lead to an environmental engineering degree at the University of Regina.

It's a goal, she says, that neatly dovetails her deep concern for the natural environment with her own Aboriginal spirituality.

"In the past, everything used to be connected in our Native world, nothing was taken for granted, but now with all the industrialism, commercialism and exploitation of resources, nobody is taking the time to think about giving anything back, they just see the profit. I hate to see the way people are misusing and abusing our Mother Earth, something I've been writing about in my English essays," she said.

Dillon, who returned to school at the age of 30 and has spent a busy year finishing her Grade 12 academic upgrading, is described by her teacher Marie Tootoosis as "a talented writer who is gifted in the sciences, someone who wants to get out there and put her beliefs in place."

A wife and mother of three school-age children, Dillon has spent several years working on home schooling, and she has been exceptional in that manner, says Tootoosis.

"Holly has done a lot of independent study in order to stay home with her children and help support her husband in his career as a carpenter for the Onion Lake band. Our job at the Sakeweskam Learning Centre has been to supervise her classes, mark assignments, administer the testing and support her studies in extra science and math courses at the Eagleview High School on the reserve," she said.

"This fall will see a big change for the Dillon family, including husband Sheldon and children Daryl, Tamara and Daniel, who will be heading for the bright lights of Regina, ready to stand behind Holly, 100 per cent, and give her the strong backing she needs to achieve her dream.

There are several ways to enter the environmental engineering program at the University of Regina, explained Tootoosis.

Aboriginal students who have scored high marks in math and science can apply for regular mainstream admission, come in as a mature student or apply for one of the seats held in the Engineering Faculty for persons of Aboriginal ancestry.

The Saskatchewan Federated Indian College also offers an engineering entrance program that interfaces with the University of Regina to help students of Aboriginal ancestry coming into science programs, she added.

As a Aboriginal woman, Holly Dillon knows that she is striking out on a difficult and challenging path, but says that nothing can hold her back.

"You should chase your own goals, don't be afraid or let anyone hold you back. It's a matter of your own strength and part of the struggle for survival. More people should try to spread their wings and fly. I am doing this for myself because it's a challenge and I know I can do it. I'm also doing it for my own kids, nieces and nephews. I want them to see me succeed. There's a lot of little Native kids out there, and what do they have to look up to if they see their parents, or whoever is looking after them, not doing anything with their lives?

I want to change that, too."