Visiting the University of Alberta as a teen years ago, Aaron Lepine remembers liking what he saw.
Walking around the large campus, the young man from the Mikisew Cree First Nation was struck by the energy of the students hurrying to their classes, and instinctively, he knew he wanted to be a part of it.
“They looked like they were on a pathway to success,” he recalls. “It became an aspiration of mine to be a U of A student.”
At the time, Lepine didn’t have the academic qualifications needed to attend the U of A, so life took him in other directions first, dabbling in open studies at another post-secondary school, then working industrial jobs.
But the desire to earn a university degree stayed with him, and after upgrading academically, he eventually found his way back to the U of A at age 25, through the Transition Year Program (TYP).
It was a supportive program that Lepine now credits with “where I am today, to the work I love to do, and it has provided me with a great career path that I really enjoy.”
He is now using what he learned through TYP to help other Indigenous people pursue their own ambitions.
The one-year open studies program supports First Nations, Métis and Inuit students who may not be prepared to enter a faculty through the regular admissions route. Combining academic and cultural components, it provides opportunities for community involvement, access to elders, cultural teachers in the classroom, tutoring and more.
Through TYP, Indigenous students are offered a strong first-year U of A experience “where they feel supported and they have the resources to be successful in any program they want to pursue,” says Suzanne Butler, the program’s associate director.
Lepine says TYP helped him ease back into the demands of post-secondary classes, sharing the bootcamp basics of effective study habits, time and workload management. The skills ultimately earned him a bachelor of science in kinesiology.
And beyond that, the program’s supportive environment also provided “a second home to me, and a way to be part of the Indigenous community at the U of A,” Lepine says.
“I developed a relationship with First Peoples’ House, with other Indigenous students, staff and supports on campus. It really gave me an idea of the value of why being Indigenous was important to me.”
Valuable support from EPCOR
Supporting fulfilling and successful journeys like Lepine’s is also important to EPCOR, which recently renewed its funding partnership with TYP. The corporation’s commitment began in 2020 and now extends for a total of six years.
“Along with taking care of communities by delivering clean water and safe, reliable energy, EPCOR cares about building bright futures for our community members, and the Transition Year Program is an important part of this,” explains John Elford, EPCOR's president and CEO. “The Transition Year Program removes barriers for Indigenous students, and paves the way toward building successful careers – it’s inspiring to see the difference it makes.”
EPCOR’s support “gives TYP the flexibility and resources to say yes to students in need,” Butler says. “We have the resources to allow students to overcome challenges and do what they need to be successful.”
“Communities are healthy when everyone can participate equally,” says Elford. “Through the support of this program, we're able to increase opportunities for Indigenous students, help them advance in their educational journey, and through their future careers ultimately contribute back to the communities they care about, too.”
EPCOR-supported initiatives like smaller tutoring sessions and workshops, for example, help TYP students build their confidence and make mandatory math and science courses “more approachable,” Butler notes.
“Projects like this are improving student retention and course completion, and in turn, that paves the way forward for their degrees.”
Serving his community
Lepine has carried his TYP experience with him in his work over the years.
Early in his career, his journey took him to the U of A’s Office of the Registrar. Working as a recruitment officer, he guided other Indigenous students through the university application process.
Moving on to become an Indigenous post-secondary institution co-ordinator, that supportive work continued, as he connected with tribal colleges to develop pathways to the U of A for their students.
And in 2022, Lepine was able to bring that expertise home to serve his community when he landed a job with Mikisew Group.
The company, owned by the northeastern Alberta First Nation community, is an oilsands partner specializing in site services, maintenance, logistics and construction.
As an Indigenous relations adviser, Lepine helps build employment opportunities for members of the Mikisew Cree First Nation through liaison with the company’s joint ventures. He also helps job applicants with important basics like résumé upgrades and interview skills, and works closely with the First Nation’s education department to generate summer jobs for students.
“This is a good role for me because I have a good grasp of what questions a prospective student has, and how to address their needs.”
Lepine’s work helps contribute to long-term economic sustainability for the 3,000 members of Mikisew First Nation and its future generations, and along with that, “aspirations for technical and professional potential,” he says.
“We want our people to have a vision of leadership, knowing that they can work within our company or joint ventures in professional designations like accounting or project management, for example. We really want to build that big picture up.”
Reflecting on the assistance he received from TYP, Lepine says it’s fulfilling to be able to carry that care and guidance forward.
“Going from being a student who needed support while pursuing an academic education at the U of A really allowed me to give back to my community and to help support my nation.
“Now to be able to bring that full circle is very rewarding.”
In addition to EPCOR, the Transition Year Program is also supported by ATB Financial, Canadian Western Bank, Stantec and Wipro.