Paulette Dahlseide

Paulette Dahlseide lives in Cold Lake, Alberta. She is French on her father’s side and Métis on her mother’s side. Her Métis family names are Garneau, Lacombe, Lavallee and Thomas with extensive history and ties to the land in and around St. Paul des Métis. Her great-great grandparents are Laurent and Eleanor Garneau, upon whose 1874 river lot the University of Alberta now stands. She holds a Diploma in Dental Hygiene (1994), Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (2014) and Master of Science Medical Sciences Dental Hygiene (2024) from the University of Alberta. Her independent dental hygiene clinic, a storefront and mobile practice, is committed to bringing accessible, affordable preventive oral healthcare to patients in their homes, community health centres, schools and long term care facilities in the communities of Cold Lake, Bonnyville, Elizabeth and Fishing Lake Métis Settlements, Frog Lake and Cold Lake First Nations. Recently, her graduate studies have focused on Métis womens’ oral health experiences through Indigenous research methodology centring Métis ways of knowing and doing in co-creative, collaboration with her kinship community.

Hannah Bouvier 

Hannah was born and raised in South-Eastern Alberta; her family comes from a Metis community in Western Manitoba. Hannah has been able to maintain strong Kinship ties to her family’s home community of San Clara, Manitoba. These Kinship connections extend into Boggy Creek, Roblin, and to the historic Métis communities surrounding the Red River. Hannah completed her undergrad at Campus Saint-Jean, University of Alberta in 2022 with a major in French Language and Native Studies. Hannah is currently in her second year of her Juris Doctor program at the University of Saskatchewan at the College of Law. Hannah has pursued her own research focusing on traditional plants and medicines in relation to identity and wellness. This extends into looking at policy and its impact on Métis Wellness.

Tamara Blesse

Hello, Tamara Blesse is my name. I am from the Little Red River Cree Nation, which is situated under Treaty 8. I am Woodland Cree. For my education, I presently live in Edmonton. I am a fourth-year University of Alberta student. I am a Native Studies major with a minor in Film Studies. I would like to contribute to the preservation of my culture and give back to my community when I complete my degree. I am passionate about my culture and traditional knowledge, and I often integrate it into my academics. I am devoted to my community and often return home over the summer months to reconnect with my people and homelands. Through my experience, I hope to inspire other Indigenous youth to follow their aspirations and further their education.