Kerkovius
By Christine McLaren
Ann Rose Kerkovius, an Inuk from the Copper Inuit Nation, was born in an igloo in Kugluktuk, Nunavut—formerly Coppermine, NWT.
As a young child, she lived a nomadic life with her family, traveling by dog sled. But at age 6, she was enroled in a residential school, where she lost her language and a way of life. The experience compelled her to pursue her dream of working with her people and reclaiming her language and her culture. She dispelled the myth that pervaded her early school years that “she would never amount to much,” and is receiving her master’s of social work at Spring Convocation.
Kerkovius waited until her children had left home to pursue their educational goals before beginning her journey towards higher education. “I never gave up on getting an education and I believe we are never too old to go back to school,” says Kerkovius of her educational pursuits.
She completed her bachelor of social work at UVic and returned to the campus to pursue her masters. Upon acceptance as a graduate student, she was honoured to learn that, based on her marks, she had been chosen to receive a financial fellowship. “Here, the beauty that surrounded me, the knowledge I obtained and the deeper understanding of myself that I gained gave me the strength to return to the North to be with my people,” she says. She is currently working as a community social worker in her home town of Kugluktuk.
While working on her masters, Kerkovius contributed important Aboriginal research to the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren project and she produced a moving thesis entitled “Snow Drifters” about the homeless men in Rankin Inlet.
“My connection with Indigenous people at UVic gave me comfort and a sense of belonging,” says Kerkovius. She says she will always remember the words of a Coast Salish elder who said, “We have the spirit in us and we use it with each other when we meet different nations”.
Her future plans include management pursuits, continuing to use her language with her people and in her community work and–she will never rule out the possibility of taking more courses.
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