Over the years, she’s been interested in many different things but what she really wants to do these days is pursue a career in journalism. Anna Seagrave was born and raised in Yellowknife and her family is from Kinngait. She attended the first year of Nunavut Sivuniksavut where she learned about land claims, Inuit history, Inuktitut, cultural studies, cultural projects, and Inuit government relations. Each year there are also trips where students spend time with other Indigenous people in other countries. After that, she did a journalism internship with Cabin Radio in Yellowknife, interviewing people articles and radio interviews, radio DJing and hosting afternoon shows. Since then, she’s applied for a CBC internship and she aspires to go to school for Media Studies and Journalism.

Motivating her to pursue these opportunities is the fact that Seagrave had never had formal education about the history of Nunavut, so attending Nunavut Sivuniksavut gave her the chance to learn. She decided to pursue media work because of how many relatives she has in the industry, with an uncle working for a hockey column for the newspaper and a hockey podcast, an auntie with a masters in journalism, an uncle with a marketing company and her dad is a writer. 

Her advice for Inuit students leaving their home community for education is to think of where they want to go and what they are interested in and mentally prepare, getting as much exposure for what they are interested in going to school for. This will ensure they are as dedicated as possible for what they are pursuing. Seagrave also emphasized the importance of getting your high school diploma so you can pivot if you don’t like what you originally decide to pursue. Outside of journalism, she’s also interested in archaeology. Her mom majored in anthropology and Indigenous art of North America. 

If Seagrave could share a message with her younger self it would be to be more focused, especially in her later teen years preparing for the experiences she’s pursued. Ultimately, she found she was checked out and her mental space wasn’t ready to transition into her new opportunities and move to a big city. As part of Nunavut Sivuniksavut she participated in performances and Inuit awareness workshops, speaking to members of the public. answering a lot of questions and providing education about Nunavut. 

When it comes to obstacles, Seagrave found that even in high school it was common to have friends die at a young age, to deal with addiction or family issues and that graduating can feel very challenging, especially if one of those struggles comes up at the end of your high school career. She also notes that in high school peers may be taking on adult roles looking after kids and supporting families and dealing with tough situations. She encourages that in high school, you are still young enough to change course if you want to in the future and you’re absorbing so much information to set yourself up for success in the future. She reinforces the importance of community to get through hard times saying “No one can do everything just fully by themselves.” 

To maintain her mental health, Seagrave is someone who can’t really sit still and needs to be around people to feel recharged, she needs to keep her hands or brain busy. She finds she can’t really slow down and think unless she is in motion doing what she loves to do. “Any talent you have that you just enjoy like that, if you can make money on it in some way, that’s always a good thing and never a waste, especially if it's something you enjoy, like if you like to sew or draw or paint or carve, or…make earrings… those are good things to be starting young,” she elaborates. 

“I feel like I just want to keep emphasizing like you don't have to stick to one thing. You don't have to be stuck in one space forever, especially if maybe you really did have interest in it at one point, and you don't feel like you can get out of it, or have any other marketable skills. You can always pick up new skills and experiences that can give you a… new direction or a new path,” Seagrave encourages, noting there’s no need to feel guilty for shifting gears and doing something different. 

In grade six, Anna Seagrave wanted to be a hairdresser, then later she was interested in archaeology, then political science and now she wants to do journalism. Inspired by her family’s work in media, she’s following in their footsteps and making her own mark as a journalist. While she had never had formal education about her roots in Nunavut, she had the chance to learn at Nunavut Sivuniksavut and grow as a person.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.