Rosalyn Yake '10 (Catharine Parr Traill College)

My journey began at Trent in 1966 when I began year two of what became a four-year degree. The following year I served as the President of the Champlain College Cabinet when several meetings with President Tom Symons early in my term sparked the creation of Canada’s first Indigenous Studies program. That moment shaped my path in Indigenous education and advocacy. Today, I’m deeply honoured to receive the Indspire Lifetime Achievement Award - recognition from Indigenous peers across the country. It’s a humbling milestone that reflects decades of work advancing the well-being and education of Indigenous youth.

As an elementary school teacher, I saw the need for more Social Emotional Learning. I wrote the children’s book, “Releasing the Complain Dragon,” which includes a detailed discussion guide for parents and teachers. This story is designed to help children understand that all emotions are important, that we are capable of meeting our needs, and that the best way to move forward during uncomfortable feelings is to practice self-compassion. The book is currently available for purchase on Amazon. 

In July 2005, I began researching my ancestors’ involvement in the 1825 Peter Robinson emigration experiment, which relocated 2024 impoverished, Irish tenant-farmers from Ireland to Canada. It was a sunny afternoon when I first visited the Peterborough Museum and Archives to investigate the topic. I began by searching through documents for information about my father’s paternal ancestors, surname English, but discovered that it was his mother’s grandparents, Patrick and Margaret Heffernan, who had been participants. I was interested in not only the facts but in how the participants must have been feeling and thinking while completing this monumental uprooting and life-changing journey.