Meet your new Indigenous Student Engagement & Recruitment Specialist!
Get to know Jackie.
Tansi. Nisîhkason Emihkosit Kihew Iskwew (Hello. My name is Red Eagle Woman).
I also go by Jacqueline Bellerose but most people call me Jackie.
I am from East Prairie Metis Settlement, a few hours north west of Edmonton. It is one of the eight Metis Settlements in Alberta. I also have ancestral ties to the historic Métis community of St. Albert. A fun fact about my heritage is that I am Métis going back 5 generations both on my mom’s side and my dad’s side. We have a mix of Cree, Saulteaux, French, and Scottish, but mostly Cree and French when the intermarrying started back in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Since then, it’s been Métis marrying Métis which is not uncommon.
I am a mother of three beautiful children. Oshea is 25, Samantha is 19 and Kanye is six. I also have a seven-year-old grandson, Koven. They mean the world to me and I would do anything and everything for them.
I am the oldest living of nine siblings and of course since I am Metis that means I raised them all *lol* just kidding but I did help raise them. We were all raised for the most part by nohtawiy (my dad). He raised me since I was eight months old as a single dad in the late 70s, which was unheard of. I can’t state that without shouting out nohkom and nikawisak (my grandmother and aunties).
As a University of Alberta graduate, with a Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies and minor in Anthropology, I am very passionate about Indigenous people furthering their education. I believe in the saying that “Education is the new buffalo.” Meaning, for Indigenous people, it is a way and means to provide food, shelter and the other necessities of life for ourselves and our families.
In my free time I like to spend time with my family, going to cultural events like round dances and other ceremonies. I also dabble in beading. I am also an old school hip hop head and I am proud to say that I have been walking the red road, which means living a sober lifestyle, for over 18 years now.
For the majority of my career I have worked for my community in many different capacities. Most recently, as Special Assistant for the Metis Settlements General Council, I was involved in extensive archival research for genealogical family tree research which reinvigorated my love for research and higher education. I was also responsible for a majority of the research that went into supporting the Metis Settlements in their negotiations with Canada which I am very proud to have been a part of.
In this new role as the Indigenous Student Engagement and Recruitment Specialist with the Faculty of Arts, I look forward to helping Indigenous Arts students succeed. I am here to help in any way I can, academically and personally when necessary. If I cannot help, I will find someone who can! I am also looking forward to recruiting Indigenous students to the University and growing and supporting the overall Indigenous Community on campus.
