Sarah Hunt was a precocious force when she started her studies at the University of Victoria at the age of 17.
At that time, the mid-1990s, many First Nations students struggled to make it through high school. Hunt, of Kwagiulth, Ukrainian and English heritage, was a Spectrum Community School graduate and co-valedictorian of the city鈥檚 native grad class. She had been a Miss Native Friendship Centre princess and was active in the Songhees community where she lived.
But it was the suicide of her cousin, Malidi, who was close to her age, and the questions around her death that in part led Hunt to become an advocate and academic.
鈥淚t was a pivotal time for me. She was loved and deeply connected to her culture,鈥� said Hunt, 37. 鈥淏ut I started to think about the silences around her story, around intergenerational abuse. And I saw it as my obligation to look at that.鈥�
Hunt embarked on a social-justice and scholastic journey that culminated in a prestigious award last week. She received a Governor General鈥檚 gold medal with her doctorate in geography from Simon Fraser University 鈥� an honour given to the top two PhD graduates.
Her thesis investigated 鈥渢he dynamics of law, violence and space through the frequently unheard perspectives of indigenous people working to address violence in communities across 乌鸦传媒鈥�
In it, she explored the healing and empowering possibilities of restoring indigenous justice models.
Hunt鈥檚 supervisor, Nicholas Blomley, described her as 鈥渁 truly engaged 鈥� in the fullest and most important meaning of the term 鈥� and brilliant young woman connecting to the communities in which she has been doing meaningful and extraordinarily challenging work.鈥�
Corinne Michel was a First Nations education high school teacher when she first met Hunt, who was a student.
鈥淓ven then, she was a mover and a shaker,鈥� said Michel, who now co-ordinates aboriginal programs at Camosun College. She said Hunt has helped paved the way for First Nations students and heralded her advocacy of indigenous research methods. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 even put into words how proud I am of her and the role model she鈥檚 become.鈥�
Hunt isn鈥檛 much for talking about her accolades, but recognizes the importance of indigenous role models in higher education.
鈥淚 had no idea this could even be a career,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I had so many people who believed in me along the way and encouraged me to move forward.鈥�
When Hunt first went to the University of Victoria, she said, there were about 50 aboriginal students and one professor. There was a small First Nations Students鈥� Union. Hunt co-hosted an indigenous radio program on CFUV called UnReserved, where she played Buffy Sainte-Marie music and read poetry. She realized she had never read anything by an aboriginal author.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 changed incredibly in 20 years,鈥� she said. 鈥淚ndigenous education is now an issue and a priority. You can really see that.鈥�
This month, UVic awarded degrees to 87 aboriginal students, 20 of whom received post-graduate degrees.
During her first years of Women鈥檚 Studies, Hunt developed a drive to confront violence against First Nations women.
She became an outreach worker with the Urban Native Youth Association in Vancouver. It was the time when missing and murdered women from the Downtown Eastside and Highway of Tears in northern 乌鸦传媒 were coming to light. She found out her close friend鈥檚 mother was one of Willie Pickton鈥檚 first victims. Elsie Sebastian was 42 when she disappeared in 1991. Her body was never found.
Hunt became a researcher and educator, developing community-based resources to help address violence. Speaking to First Nations people in their own communities, she saw a need to include more indigenous voices in scholarship.
鈥淎 lot of violence prevention doesn鈥檛 look at residential school abuse or the effect of living in a smaller community,鈥� Hunt said.
She returned to UVic in 2007 to work on an interdisciplinary master鈥檚 degree and became a principal investigator with the LE鈥橬ONET research project, which aimed to increase retention and graduation rates among aboriginal students.
鈥淥ne of the main findings was building relationships 鈥� a sense of connectedness to the community 鈥� helped increase success,鈥� said Hunt, who has been nominated for a 乌鸦传媒 Research Chair at a 乌鸦传媒 university. The successful candidate will be announced in the fall.
She hopes her work and story inspire teachers, as well as aboriginal students, to pursue education.
鈥淪ome teachers might assume their native students are not capable or not interested. But that鈥檚 where change starts, one teacher or neighbour at a time. That one person who believed they could make a difference.鈥�
