"BE CURIOUS. Inspiration, for me, is everything. I run towards big ideas and personal growth - seeking light beneath any rock, around any corner, and within any interaction."
Olivia Maracle
- Degree: Master of Science in Nursing
- Grad year: 2022
- Program:
- Campus: Vancouver
Se:ko! My name is Olivia Maracle, and my pronouns are she/her. I am a daughter, a sister, and a granddaughter. I am of the Turtle Clan and identify as Kanien'kehá:ka (People of the Flint) or Mohawk from the Bay of Quinte. My mother is Susan Cooke, and my father is Gary Maracle. I am the first granddaughter on my father’s side, whose family, for the most part, reside on Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Belleville, Ontario. My maternal family lives in Belleville, as well as other areas across Canada. Although I grew up in Ontario and Alberta, I have lived in North Vancouver, British Columbia for most of my adult life.
I have a BA in Psychology/Sociology from the University of Alberta, and a BSN and MSN from the University of British Columbia. I have spent most of my life as a Nurse, first as an Emergency Animal Health Technician, and more recently as a Pediatric RN at BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
Niá:wen
What has made your time at UBC memorable?
I completed a SPAR (Scholarly Practice Advancement Research project) which combined many of the items I learned within my BSN and MSN program. My SPAR was on Indigenous leadership, which includes a 200-page paper and YouTube documentary. Months upon months of preparation allowed me time to consider concepts learned through my studies, subsequently stumbling upon a difference between what I thought to be true and what is actually true – and why. We are unable to categorize Indigenous leadership, as leadership exists in the Western world.
I learned about deeper reds and softer hue of yellow. I learned about my relations – what can be spoken and what was not whispered. I learned what is real and brave and present – all of which have impacted in my life. A mentor of mine, a Nursing leadership professor at UBC, recognized my opinion and passion, and agreed - these new findings, this angle, this lens, was missing in the current curriculum. Upon completion of this project, the information provided/learned has since been included in the MSN leadership courses. THAT is the change that is possible with UBC. And that is why I continue to be interested in academic participation. You can be passionate, and you can create change.
What advice would you give a student entering your degree program?
I would first examine your motivation. Next, think about:
- What energizes you, inspires you?
- What are you passionate about?
- Who do you consider your mentors and muses, and why?
- Who are the groups and communities that you identify and connect solidly with that lift you up and celebrate you, and you them?
- Think about where you want to utilize your energy, your time, focus your attention?
- What worlds do you find yourself within or are drawn toward, and how might your unique gifts and insights safely benefit them?
- What sorts of projects are you drawn to, interested in, or run towards?
- What might you consider your life’s work?
- It is always a good idea to seek out others who have taken the program that interests you – where are they now? How did the program change them? Where are they having impact? What did they learn? Do they love their career? What do they find challenging? What more work must be done?
The MSN curriculum takes time, thoughtful contemplation, and expends personal energy. You will have to switch shifts and find time to study theorists and concepts, seek out knowledge, participate in research, and connect with other learners and academics.
REMEMBER: this is all about learning. YOUR learning. YOUR growth. So, take your time. BE INFLUENCED. LISTEN to what others have to offer and ENJOY yourself. BE INTERSECTIONAL. BE OPEN to change. BE WILLING to EXPERIENCE INNOVATION. ASK QUESTIONS. STAY INVESTED in BIG IDEAS.
Ultimately, these are gifts given to yourself. However, the bright energy that will delightfully spin out from within you, will without question, positively impact others.
Many students have said that having role models related to their identity is important.
I might not use the term ‘role models,’ possibly because I am now 45-years-old…but also possibly because that implies hierarchy. I am not a believer in hierarchy. In my mind, information moves towards and away from people simultaneously. I reach out to others, and others reach out to me. The combination always becomes something new, another big idea, perhaps an ah-ha moment, or at the very least, something novel to roll around in one’s mind. Although knowledge is presented in a certain way, we individually transform it into something else. This energy (ATP/neuronal) combines with another’s impression on/of you in how information is relayed, (suggestive of interpretation complexities), and so on. This is the power of connection!
I have many muses and mentors in the LGBTQ+ and Indigenous world – potentially because I identify as both Indigenous (Mohawk) and as a lesbian, but also because these are groups and minority or marginalized communities that interest me deeply. I am influenced and I influence equally. We are drawn to our communities and sameness (tribalism) for safety and safe keeping. Who I am and how I identify will always influence what I do. I use an Indigenous lens, as much as I use an LGBTQ+ lens. I think of them as a sepia to my world – they will always inform my academic and professional experiences. These are worlds important to me. They include comrades I walk alongside, inspiration blooming back and forth, encouragement and words of wisdom shared, and we journey on. This is pride and happiness to me, and I wish to focus my attention and academic experience directly here.
