Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT • SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2021 3 EDUCATION GUIDE BY DENISE DUGUAY A t 32, Dr. Zack Hall has just become the first person of the 3,400-member Pinay- mootang First Nation to gradu- ate from medical school, at the University of Manitoba. He is being heralded as a role model to his community, located on Fairford reserve, about two and a half hours northwest of Winnipeg. He said he's had a lot of help along the way, starting with his mother. "It was her fascination in the medical field that probably started mine," he said during a recent inter- view before beginning his psychia- try residency in Brandon. As a teen, he would peek at his single mother's textbooks when she was studying to become a health- care aide. "I kind of liked bone structures and stuff." Even earlier, "she would tickle a part of my neck or something and she wouldn't stop tickling me — she'd say 'You have to name that bone,' like clavicle or something." Even her pursuit of higher educa- tion inspired him, but he didn't have the grades for university, working as a chef in Winnipeg. "I was stuck in a rut." The answer came when an asth- ma attack landed him in the care of a doctor at Victoria General Hospi- tal. "I was blacking out and the only thing I remember was him telling me to keep breathing," Hall recalled. "He said there was nothing to worry about… if you ever need anything, don't worry I'll be here." That care left an impression. "Right after I got out of the hos- pital I looked up the University of Manitoba to see whether or not I could apply," which he did as a ma- ture student. Seven years, several jobs and many hours of volunteer work later — including a stint with St. John Ambulance, where he met his wife, Paige — he is Dr. Zack Hall. "I still don't feel like a doctor, but I am!" he said. He credits the Interlake Reserves Tribal Council for financial and moral support, singling out educa- tion director Alan Letandre and his own aunt and IRTC program ad- ministrator, Donna Hall. "It gives our family much pride and hope for a future generation of doctors, law- yers or other careers that move our family away from poverty," she said via email. When he began classes, Hall said he was "100 per cent terrified." He found kindred spirits at Migi- zii Agamik, the Indigenous student centre at the U of M. "It provided a safe place for me to study and feel comfortable." He also found his academic foot- ing. "The teacher in the math class pulled me aside and said, 'You are the only one in the class who got 100.' I'm like 'Oh, wow.' I felt pretty good after that." At the U of M, through Ongomiiz- win Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, he found his mentor, Dr. Melinda Fowler, and her Medi- cal School Entrance Interview work- shop. It was about more than tips on how to dress and answer questions, Hall said. "It was there that I finally was able to learn more about my culture," he said, adding it helped him decide "to be an advocate and see if I can get better health care, better living standards for Indig- enous people in Canada, especially Manitoba." Further, he cites the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. "As an Indigenous person, we should have the right and access to have an Indigenous physician, but I don't know many Indigenous psychia- trists." "He's a person that I very much had in mind," Fowler said. "He's very compassionate, very down to earth, but so brilliant." Fowler said she is especially proud of Hall's decision to special- ize in psychiatry. After his residency in Brandon, Hall and wife Paige plan to live in Gimli or Selkirk and work regularly in Fairford and other Interlake com- munities. "In regard to Zack returning home, it'd be ideal," said Gwen Tra- verse, director of the Pinaymootang First Nation Health Program, "I think people would be more open because he's Indigenous and he un- derstands our ways of life. "As a community, we are very proud of him and I'm glad he saw the need where there's a major is- sue." Hall said he hopes to inspire people in his community to pur- sue higher education. "It's never too late," he said. His family, once again, are among the first to respond. His mother "is thinking of going back," as is a cousin. So, she brought her students together virtually and they decided as a group to start fresh-creating digital photography projects about how their lives had changed because of the pandemic. They exhibited their work online in partnership with the local PLATFORM Centre for Photographic and Digital Arts, and Ciurysek held an online reception for the class. "This last pandemic year has shown me all over again how much the relationships in a course matter," Ciurysek says. "I'm grateful to have had concentrated time to meet with students one-on-one on- line, and also for small groups to have met outdoors in my land-based art course. Discussions about students' projects, fears and plans have been mutually stimulating at the same time as comforting and buoy- ing." Last fall, Ciurysek took an outdoor art class she had originally run the year before at FortWhyte Alive and adapted it to the pandemic. She split the class of 16 into two smaller cohorts in order to maintain physical distancing if the group had to move indoors. One of their assignments was to make art with natural materials, integrating a "leave no trace" philosophy. "Because experiential learning is so important to Sarah, she already had experience working outside, where students had more opportu- nities to be together," says Borbridge. "I'm just so thrilled Sarah got the recognition she deserved for really building a community and fostering such beautiful connections." Rising to the challenge, many other educators across Manitoba have been able to push the boundaries of traditional teaching meth- ods during this recent period of remote learning. UM has been for- tunate to also be the home of the Manitoba Online Learning Hub, which has provided course and learning object creation resources, workshops and other supports to the other post-secondary institu- tions in Manitoba. "There is no question UM instructors have really done an incred- ible job at maintaining the quality of the courses but also have dem- onstrated their willingness to integrate new approaches to learning," Torchia said. "UM has seen increased student registrations during the pandemic and students are engaged." For more information, visit umanitoba.ca. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 PHOTO BY ROBYN ADAMS Professor Sarah Ciurysek (left) takes part in a final critique of class work at The Forks. HEALTH-CARE EDUCATION PHOTO BY JASON HALSTEAD Dr. Zack Hall has decided to specialize in psychiatry and is currently doing his residency in Brandon. Doctor dream all about advocacy, empowerment While it is not mandatory to have either a university or college diploma to pursue this career, business courses offered by many post-secondary institutions do include insurance administration programs in their business diplomas. To become an insurance broker, a qualifying exam must be taken to receive a license. This can be done on your own through the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba or by having a brokerage sponsor you for the course. Training and professional development is a never-ending process. Courses to enhance the professionalism of your brokerage and increase your knowledge of the insurance industry are offered through the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba. To learn more about this career path, check out the IBAM website Education section or contact the IBAM office for more information.

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