Initially a nursing access student, she found her way into a more suitable program. Now she helps others find their way in government systems. Trisha Landry grew up in Fort Providence and has made it her home for the last decade, but has been back and forth between there and Kakisa with her husband. A proud Dene woman from Deh Gáh Got’íé First Nation, she has held a number of roles in her community.

Landry worked as an administrative assistant and in the lands department and later, as the constituency assistant for former MLA Michael Nadli. She went on to work with the Deh Cho First Nation as Edehzhie Community Coordinator, a position she loved dearly. These days she is a client navigator for the government of the Northwest Territories, a new program and a new position she’s enjoying very much. Being able to help her people navigate government systems is a passion of hers.

As far as navigating her own education journey, Landry graduated high school and went to Aurora College in Yellowknife and Fort Smith. She started off in the Nursing Access program before deciding it wasn’t for her. She switched into management studies and completed it, supplementing with leadership courses that came her way.

Her advice for Indigenous students leaving their home communities to pursue their education would be, “Don't give up. Just stay within yourself and remember that you're there for yourself and nobody else.” She acknowledges the many challenges Indigenous students face leaving their communities and going to a bigger city.

When it comes to obstacles Landry faced herself, she says, “Every day is an obstacle we face, and we tend to overcome them.” More specifically, though, Landry became a mother and wife young and that meant attending to family sometimes got in the way of daily activities. With the support of family and friends, she and her family grew into the people they are today despite and in many ways, because of the challenges they faced together.

If Landry could give a message to her younger self it would be, “Just let it go. There's a lot of things that we tend to hold onto. Just let it go and what’s done is done. You have no control over anything. Just live life positively and happy and enjoy what's in front of you.” Growing up, she wouldn’t change the level of support she had, surrounded by supportive people.

To balance her mental health, Landry maintains her sobriety. She’s been drug and alcohol free for seven years. Being around family and friends, raising her two boys, she does her best to live life on a positive road for her kids. There’s a big age gap between her kids because of her earlier focus on her education.

“I always wanted to be a positive role model, especially for my kids and their friends. They see us not choosing the wrong lifestyle and creating a safe place for them to know that we'll be here to support them and just being here, being supportive of each other, especially with the young youth in the community,” Landry explains.

Thinking of her sources of inspiration, Landry looks to the youth in her community and wants to give them a chance and to be there to support them. She longs to see them succeed. Seeing their community’s youth fundraise to go to Edmonton was delightful. Her own family is a source of motivation and with her children growing up so quickly, she’s more available to volunteer.  “We had a lot of support from our parents growing up, so we need to start giving back and giving our kids the support that we had received from our parents,” she observes.

Once upon a time, Trisha Marie Landry found her way from Nursing Access to management studies and now she helps clients find their way in the maze of government programs. From working in the lands department to being a constituency assistant to working as an Edehzhie Community Coordinator, she’s held many roles in her community, progressing in her career and trying new things. Her latest role is one that she’s passionate about, like she’s passionate about supporting youth, and she’s finding time for both interests to support people.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.