Our Journey celebration sees ‘growth we’re proud of’

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This article was published 24/05/2025 (306 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

About 200 Indigenous students were celebrated with pride, culture and community spirit at the fifth annual “Our Journey 2025: Honouring Indigenous Student Success” on Friday at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

The students ranged from preschool to post-secondary graduates.

Participants, many in traditional regalia, made a grand entrance shortly after 11 a.m., receiving high fives and handshakes from dignitaries before enjoying a powwow and barbecue lunch.

This year’s celebration brought together students from 24 schools across the Brandon School Division, as well as Sioux Valley Dakota Nation schools, Assiniboine College, Brandon University and the Brandon Literacy Council, BSD Indigenous education learning specialist Raven Willoughby told the Sun at the event.

“This event is a community-wide effort,” Willoughby said. “We’re seeing more participation because families and schools now better understand the importance of celebrating Indigenous student success collectively. We’ve moved from 180 graduates last year to about 200 this year. That’s growth we’re proud of.”

Among the graduates were some with remarkable stories of adults who returned to school later in life — many of them parents, and some, like Tina Ironstand and Nichelle Shingoose, mothers to five children each.

Ironstand, a Brandon Literacy Council graduate, shared how she left school after Grade 8 in the mid-1990s. Raising five children as a single mother, she returned to further her education once her youngest entered school full-time.

“My journey was very hard,” she told the Sun. “I had to start from scratch — literacy, numeracy, then grades 9 to 12. All while helping my mother and niece through serious health issues. I still wonder how I did it.”

Ironstand’s message to others who might be hesitant to return to school: “Don’t be scared to walk through the front doors. All it takes is one step. The teachers are there to support you.”

Shingoose also found herself back in the classroom after learning she hadn’t received her diploma in 2011, as she had thought. Now a proud graduate, Shingoose said her return to school was driven in part by a desire to model resilience for her daughter, who was struggling with school.

“I thought I had my diploma already. When I found out I was missing a credit, I went back,” she told the Sun. “I wanted to show my daughter how it feels to achieve something like this. It wasn’t easy, especially with a rocky relationship and raising five kids. But persistence got me through.”

Willoughby highlighted how stories like Ironstand’s and Shingoose’s are exemplary cases of a broader reality for many learners.

“There are learning gaps rooted in the history of our education systems,” she said. “For many, going back to school later in life is the only viable path, once they have the stability or support to do so.”

The event was a partnership between BSD, Assiniboine College and BU. Originally held separately by each institution, the ceremonies were unified into a single, powerful celebration of community and culture five years ago.

Beyond the graduates, the event included participation from kindergarten students, middle school students and families, with cultural teachings and ceremonies throughout the day. The Brandon Friendship Centre contributed early learning kits for children preparing to enter kindergarten, reflecting a commitment to educational success from the earliest years.

“Our hope,” Willoughby added, “is that even more Indigenous students will feel proud to identify, engage in their culture and be part of celebrations like this in the future.”

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