Science career began by walking with Elders

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It wasn't until the television and newspaper cameras came out that Stephanie Whitecloud realized just how special she had become.

She thought she was just another honored Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) graduate during its 24th annual convocation in May 2000.

Instead, Whitecloud learned for the first time that she was the first ever graduate from SIFC to earn a science degree.

A lifelong love of and interest in the plants and animals on the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation led to the degree, and her current job, as the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations resource policy analyst for fisheries and wildlife.

But it took a lot of hard work, and a lot of support from family and friends, to achieve that goal.

Her love for biology started when she was living on the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation, where she would often walk with her Elders through the hills and prairie.

"I would always be asking, 'What is that?' and 'What does that plant do?'" she said. That natural curiosity, along with a very good memory, put her at the head of her science and biology classes in middle and high school.

It was in those courses, she said, that she was able to see the stories her Elders and grandparents told about plants and wildlife seemed to mesh with what the teachers and textbooks were saying.

Originally, Whitecloud enrolled as a pre-med student at SIFC and the University of Regina, hoping to become a doctor. However, she fell in love with biology, thanks to a required course in cell micro-biology, and decided to switch her major.

"I had done my first two years in pre-med, and biology had been a strong point with me," she said.

However, getting a biology degree was tough in ways that can't be measured in a classroom. In addition to being the only First Nations person enrolled in higher-level biology classes, Whitecloud was often the only woman.

As well, to help cover expenses, Whitecloud took a part-time job at Casino Regina during her fourth year of study. That meant she would have to study, attend classes, do work in the laboratories, and then take a shift at work.

She credits the efforts of family and friends who supported her through this period.

"If it wasn't for them-the fact that the university was close to home, and I could talk to them-I don't know if I could have made it through.

"I was, and am, thankful that they were able to help me out when I needed it."

But after her graduation, getting a decent job was little trouble.

Right now, she's working with Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management, the FSIN, and band councils in east-central Saskatchewan to monitor and help control the spread of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer.

She discusses with band councils why the disease threatens wildlife herds, and describes programs for hunting that the two organizations have implemented.