July 2024
Peggy Janicki, BEd’01, MEd’14, is a member of the Nak’azdli Whuten/Sq’ewqeyl First Nation and a NITEP alum from the Chilliwack field centre
What attracted you to NITEP?
My brother Jim is a NITEP graduate. So, when I was wondering what other jobs I could do, he said I was smart enough to go to University. Which was not how I saw myself. It turns out I am, and I thrived.
How has NITEP impacted Indigenous communities in British Columbia?
NITEP has impacted many communities big and small. As an alum, I knew I could rely on my NITEP peers to help me out with whatever position I held. So, folks hire a collective, not an individual, when they hire a NITEP grad. And, by extension, communities benefit from this phenomenon as well.
How has your involvement with the NITEP program influenced you, or what are you currently engaged in?
My involvement with NITEP has influenced me beyond any measure. I was blessed to not only get a degree, but also meet my husband, Rick Joe (NITEP gradudate/Lil’wat). I decided to pursue only Indigenous-focused employment because of my NITEP experience. From there, I was able to teach about Indian Residential School before it was included in the provincial curriculum. After 22 years of teaching about our history, I had the courage to write my mother’s story, “The Secret Pocket.” NITEP changed my life trajectory.
What advice would you give individuals contemplating participation in NITEP?
Folks may or may not know, but there are many ways to be a teacher other than the classic teacher at the front of a classroom. As a previous British Columbia Teachers’ Federation executive committee member and Mission Teachers Union executive committee member, becoming a public school teacher in British Columbia means you can link into the important union world across Canada. NITEP is a bridge into the professional world in its many forms.
How do you envision the future of Indigenous education?
As always, Indigenous education is the future. Our ways of knowing are important for all our sovereignties, lands and futures. Indigenous education is a building block to understanding our laws of obligations to land, family and self.
Please share a favourite memory from your time in the program.
It will always be the laughter in all the spaces. From self-deprecating humour to gallows humour to storytelling humour, the laughter woven into every day, every class are my favourite memories.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Visit the Celebrating 50 Years of NITEP page.
