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Twenty-six-year-old Shanna LaFramboise has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments: Health Canada scholarship recipient, Canada World Youth participant, university graduate and registered nurse. Now she has a new addition to that list-national Aboriginal role model.

LaFramboise, a Metis woman born and raised in Saskatoon, was one of 12 exceptional people selected by the National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) to serve as national Aboriginal role models, a new initiative launched by the health organization aimed at celebrating and sharing the successes of First Nations, Inuit and Metis youth. The first six role models were announced on National Aboriginal Day, June 21, with the remaining six named a month later.

The role models are all Aboriginal youth aged 13 to 30 who were nominated by their peers in recognition of their accomplishments.

As a NAHO role model, LaFramboise will travel to Aboriginal communities to share her experiences with youth, take part in community events and celebrations and visit schools to talk to students. All the role models will also be featured on posters and trading cards, which will be distributed to Aboriginal schools across the country.

LaFramboise received her nursing degree from the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) earlier this year and is currently working as a Registered Nurse on a general surgical ward at St. Paul's Hospital.

LaFramboise credits her involvement with the Canada World Youth program with helping her to choose a career in nursing. She had completed her first two years of university when she went on her first Canada World Youth exchange in 1998 and the experience provided her the focus and direction she had been lacking. Through the program, Canadian youth get a chance to work together on community programs with youth from another country, first in Canada, then in the home country of the other exchange participants. LaFramboise spent the first part of her exchange in Manitoba and the second part in Cuba. She went on a second exchange in 2001 that took her to Toronto and then India.

"I started out in arts and science, initially, and I did well the first year. And then the second year, I was just kind of lost and I didn't really know where I was going. And after that second year, I could have just dropped out and thought maybe I really wasn't going back," she said.

"The opportunity to kind of expand my horizons and look beyond my own life with the exchange was very helpful in making a decision to go back and to find something that I was interested in and therefore would help me maintain my motivation."

She had been unsure as to whether to pursue a career in nursing or in teaching, and her experience during the exchange helped her in making her decision.

"My involvement with some teaching opportunities on the exchange-we did some ESL classes for the community in the evenings and I worked in a school with some fifth graders during the days-that was an opportunity to actually explore that avenue. And I guess I realized that I really enjoyed it, but I didn't see myself doing that for an entire career or a lifetime. And I felt that nursing would provide me with more opportunities, I guess, in branching out," she said.

"I guess with nursing, it's the constant interaction with other people. And it's an opportunity to give back to people and make an impact on their lives when they're in crises," she said when asked why she chose her current career path.

As a NAHO role model, LaFramboise hopes she will make an impact on Aboriginal youth by providing a concrete example of what a person can accomplish.

"I guess as a role model, your role is more to serve as an example ... an actual real example of what path someone has taken to fulfill their ambitions or their goals. And it shows them that their goals are attainable."

Being a role model is something LaFramboise has already been doing through her involvement with the Native Access Prgram for Nursing (NAPN) at the U of S. She's been involved in the program, which offers support to Aboriginal students in the university's nursing program, since she started her nursing studies and is continuing her involvement even after graduation.

Work is being done to establish a mentoring program as part of NAPN, something that LaFramboise plans to be involved in. This September, she will go to speak to first-year Aboriginal nursing students at their orientation day, to talk to them about what they can expect from the program, helping to provide current students with the support she received through NAPN during her years of studies.