I am both excited and honoured to have the opportunity to give back to the community and School District #54 that supported me as a youth in Smithers.

One of the most important things for me as a Trustee has been to make decisions with student outcomes and well-being as the priority. All decisions should be student-focused to provide them with the best tools possible for the future.

I enjoy being a Trustee because I can watch our community grow through the educational growth of our students. I became a Trustee to help steward our public education system for my children and their generation of educated citizens.

To me, being a trustee means making good, informed decisions for the benefit of all our students and assisting new trustees in their professional growth.After 30 years working in SD #54, I was looking for a way to give back to a profession that had been so meaningful to me. I attended an informational session for interested Trustee candidates and decided it was something I was interested in trying.I enjoy being a member of a team that is in a position to make continual improvements in our educational system through policy and sound, informed decisions. These decisions affect students, parents, staff, union members and in some cases, the general public. Our budget decisions are critical and greatly affect our vision for the future in a rapidly changing world.

A school Trustee must be honest, responsible and understand that people in the community have a great deal of faith in their personal integrity. Keeping these values in mind, being an advocate for education in my community has been a very rewarding experience.

As a Board of Trustee member, I hold many roles. I am a mother, daughter, auntie, community member and a young Indigenous matriarch in training. When I share my thoughts at the Board level, I take into consideration the voice of my Witsuwit’en community and ensure that we are inclusive of Indigenous voice when planning and creating educational opportunities.

Being a School Board Trustee is a very rewarding job. I enjoy working with the rest of the board toward a common goal – our student’s education is a top priority. I have two boys who are currently enrolled in SD54 and I’ve always taken an interest in their education. The most interesting part of the role of Trustee is understanding our responsibilities and how the decisions we make impact the success of our students.