Alexandra Mehl, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter HA-SHILTH-SA

On June 15, Mercediese Dawson of Ditidaht walked the stage, marking the completion of her four years in the Canadian common law and Indigenous legal orders joint degree program at the University of Victoria.

The joint degree is the world91裸聊视频檚 first degree program to combine Canadian common law and Indigenous law.

Her 10-year journey through academia was, as her mother Karen Mack said, a struggle through to triumph. Dawson is in the second class to complete the joint degree program at UVic.

Dawson grew up first in Campbell River then in Port Alberni, where she attended Haahuupayak elementary. She then moved to Nitinaht Lake, and graduated from the Ditidaht Community School in 2008.

In 2013 Dawson started at Camosun College in the Indigenous College Prep Certificate program, at a time in her life when she didn91裸聊视频檛 know what she wanted to do. She relocated to Victoria, moving in with her aunt who, at the time, she hardly knew.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 think I would be at this stage if I didn91裸聊视频檛 have that family to take me in and support me when I first started my journey,91裸聊视频� she said.

Reflecting on the Indigenous College Prep certificate program, Dawson said it introduced her to Indigenous studies, delving into the history of First Nations people, residential schools, the sixties scoop, and the Indian Act.

91裸聊视频淓verything started coming together for me in that program,91裸聊视频� she said.

After completing the certificate program, she got a diploma in arts and science at Camosun. Dawson then found herself following in the footsteps of her father, heading into a Bachelor of Social Work Indigenous specialization program at UVic.

With UVic as her top choice, she applied to roughly five different schools, doubting that she would get in.

91裸聊视频淚 really didn91裸聊视频檛 believe that I was going to get in anywhere,91裸聊视频� Dawson said.

First hearing from UVic, all of the other schools followed suit sending their acceptances into programs.

91裸聊视频淭hat program really helped with my healing journey,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚t really opened my eyes to a lot of things that I needed to work on as an individual, and91裸聊视频� I gained this confidence.91裸聊视频�

She completed the Bachelor of Social Work, Indigenous specialization program in 2019. The next pieces of the puzzle would fall perfectly in place for Dawson when the first year of the joint law degree program started at UVic only one year prior to her finishing her BSW, she shared.

Coulten Boushie and Tina Michelle Fontaine were cases that pushed Dawson forward in her pursuit of her law degree.

91裸聊视频淭hose are the big cases that came out that same year and it kind of drove me harder to want to get into law,91裸聊视频� she said.

As she applied for the law program, in her statement of intent she wrote that, because of the healing nature of her BSW, she dedicated it to her grandparents and all the elders that went through the residential school system. Upon getting into law, she would dedicate the joint degrees to future generations and 91裸聊视频渢o be a part of the change that91裸聊视频檚 so desperately needed within the justice system and Indigenous people,91裸聊视频� she shared.

In her first year of law, as part of the course her final rounds of negotiations were held at the Mungo Martin House in Victoria, and in recognition of her skills, she was selected for an Indigenous Woman91裸聊视频檚 Scholarship going into her second year, she said.

The final day of her negotiations would mark the last time she would be with her cohort before the pandemic forced students to their new classroom within their own homes and on their computers.

91裸聊视频淐OVID was the majority of my time in law school and it was very hard to navigate because everything was online through Zoom,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淛ust learning in a completely different fashion was one of the greatest challenges.91裸聊视频�

Another significant challenge that Dawson had to overcome, she said, occurred at the beginning of her third year, when she had an abortion.

91裸聊视频淭hat was the most difficult time of my life,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚 was very grateful to have so many supporters and so many people who would just pick me up when I was down.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 struggled a lot in social work, but the struggle probably got 10-times worse within the last four years where I continuously wanted to quit,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檓 really proud of not giving up.91裸聊视频�

As she moves forward, Dawson will be relocating to Whitehorse at the end of July, where she will be completing her mandatory articling for a period of 10 months. After that, she plans to return to Vancouver Island, where she will do the Professional Legal Training Course and Bar exam.

For Dawson, she said that when she got into UVic, she 91裸聊视频渒new that she had what it takes to be in those spaces.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 think a lot of the time, especially during law school, you feel, as an Indigenous woman, that you don91裸聊视频檛 belong in those spaces and that you91裸聊视频檙e not meant to take that space up,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淥ne of my messages would be that we absolutely do. We belong and we deserve to be taking up spaces in these institutions.91裸聊视频�

In sharing her story, Dawson hopes to inspire others to follow their heart and dreams.

91裸聊视频淚 found my voice in social work, and then it became a challenge to use my voice again in law school,91裸聊视频� said Dawson. 91裸聊视频淏ut I think following, again, my heart, and knowing that I have all my ancestors behind me, my communities, my family I think the strength in that was what kept me going.91裸聊视频�

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