Iqaluit (Sep 11/06) - She grew up in Pangnirtung, lived the last three years in Edmonton, and wants to work in Nunavut.

Jeela Maniapik is going to the Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) training program in Ottawa, and wants to use her skills in her home territory.

Jeela Maniapik boards the bus for the first day of class at the Nunavut Sivuniksavut training program in Ottawa. She wants to return to Nunavut as a social worker, after years of living in Edmonton. - photo courtesy of Murray Angus

"I plan to go back to Nunavut. After this program, I want to get into social work. I think it would be very rewarding. I think, being Inuit, that would help give them someone they can relate to," said Maniapik.

She was working at a call centre in Edmonton, and while social work is laden with pressure, getting hung up on for an entire shift has given her some perspective.

"Working at a call centre, that's stressful," said the 21-year-old Maniapik.

There aren't many Maniapiks or Jeelas in Edmonton, making her ancestry and name a topic of conversation.

"All the time, people would always ask me where I got it," said Maniapik.

She is named after her aunt, they both have the same first and last name. "People called me "Jeelaralaa", which means little Jeela. It is funny now, because I'm over six feet tall," said Maniapik.

At the NS program, Maniapik finds herself surrounded by fellow Inuit for the first time since she left Pangnirtung, soon after her grandfather died three years ago.

"It's nice. I find it good being around other Inuit. I don't know them yet, but I know them a little," said Maniapik.

Her Inuktitut is not as sharp as it was when she left, but with her Inuit classmates, she hopes it will come back.

To the family and friends in Pangnirtung, Maniapik said, "I miss everybody and I'll be back soon."