You can look at post-secondary studies as a new beginning in your life and, when you graduate from Victor Sammurtok School in Chesterfield Inlet, you can also look at it as the chance to show just how good of an education you received in Nunavut.
Kayalaaq Leishman-Brocklebank said while everyone says graduating from high school feels like an ending, for her it it feels like a new beginning and she is really excited.
Leishman-Brocklebank, 18, said she knows she is going to miss everything in Chesterfield Inlet, but, at the same time, she is excited to see what comes next for her and what her classmates do next.
She said it was cool graduating with the same kids that she grew up with, having started school in Chesterfield Inlet in kindergarten.
“I think the education I received in Chesterfield Inlet was good," said Leishman-Brocklebank. “In a small community, people help you and support you more because they know you and they know what you can do.
“My kindergarten teacher (Rosalie Sammurtok) actually named me, so, of course, she supported me and tended to push me a little earlier on.
“I don't think Nunavut is any lesser than anywhere else when it comes to education. Yes, it's different, but that doesn't mean it's lesser.”
Leishman-Brocklebank said because she was travelling a lot this year, she didn't really have much time to think about what's coming next.
She said when she finally stood still about two months before graduation, she thought, 'Oh my god, I'm graduating.'
“I never had a doubt in my mind that I was going to graduate because I have a lot of people supporting me and telling me that I was going to graduate.
“So, it was always in my mind, really, that I was going to graduate, but when it was actually happening is was like, whoa! This is weird.
“It did hit me that this was a phase of my life that was coming to an end, but I never really thought of it like that when it was ending. I was just excited.
“I'm going to miss growing up in Nunavut and the people around me, but I'll always have that, so it's exciting to see what living in the Arctic and going through all those adversities will translate into going to university down south.”
Leishman-Brocklebank said she will be attending Carleton University in Ottawa and taking Indigenous studies.
She said her goal is to work for the Government of Nunavut and help her fellow Nunavummiut somehow.
“I don't know if I'll do that back in Nunavut or by helping Nunavut from Ottawa. I'm not too sure yet. All I know is I want to help Nunavut.
“I had a lot of opportunities in Chester for going out of town and visiting and seeing things. Like, you're not trapped. You can learn things from school and you can take them to other places.
“I went to the national marksmanship competition and the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Going to the Canada-Wide Science Fair gives you the opportunity to take the knowledge you learned from school and show other people around Canada what it's like to live and learn in the Arctic.
“I know I'll miss the freedom you experience in Chester, as well as the people, the food, the culture and the language. But, at the same time, it's a new beginning and I'm excited about attending post secondary for the next four or five years. I can't wait to see what comes next.”
