Indigenous student services


NorQuest College incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing and beliefs into our curriculum, campus, and classrooms. We strive to create a place where you can connect with your culture and traditions, reclaim your ancestral identity, and find a sense of belonging.

Indigenous students experience barriers when exploring and attending post-secondary education, including financial challenges, location and transportation barriers, lack of available housing and childcare, and discrimination.

NorQuest provides funding options, distance learning opportunities, an on-site childcare centre, traditional cultural supports, and academic support services to help address these barriers and work towards solutions. Our Indigenous student services will help you succeed in your classes while honouring your culture and your traditions.

The Indigenous Centre was awesome! It offered a quiet place for me to work in between classes and a space to learn more about my Cree culture. I was able to get sage and sweet grass when needed.

— Shanna Omeasoo, Child and Youth Care graduate
An smiling Indigenous man standing in front of a computer in Indigenous student centre

Wahkohtowin

Wahkohtowin is a Cree concept of connectedness. We are focused on relationships, as we are all connected. As an Indigenous student, you represent not only yourself, but your family, community, and ancestors.

At NorQuest, you can embrace your roots by finding connectedness through community, support, and ceremony.

For our learners, what we hear over and over again is when I see that instructor there or when I come into this space and I see the positions that Indigenous people are in, I can see that as a new target and goal for me too.

— Donna Bell, Program Manager, Indigenous Relations & Supports
 

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Cultural support services

Many Indigenous people across the country have lost important pieces of their culture through colonization and Western influence. At NorQuest, part of our college strategy is to reclaim these ancestral teachings and traditions and ensure they’re accessible to all Indigenous students.

We have on-site cultural support services available through a Cultural Advisor. You can book one-on-one time, participate in scheduled ceremonies, and learn about your culture in a safe, welcoming space.

Meet our cultural advisors

Three people sitting on a couch in the Indigenous Student Centre

Academic support services

Do you need help applying for your program, understanding funding options, or reaching your academic goals? An Indigenous Student Advisor is here to help. They’re available for one-on-one sessions and will provide the support you need to succeed in your classes and plan for your future career.

Learn more about our academic support services

Land acknowledgement

NorQuest College acknowledges that we are on traditional lands, home to many Indigenous Peoples including the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Métis and Inuit. We also acknowledge the city of Edmonton (amiskwaciwaskahikan) and all the people here are beneficiaries of Treaty 6 and Metis Nation of Alberta, which encompasses the territories of numerous Canadian First Nations as well as the Metis and Inuit people who have called these lands home since time immemorial.