RESOLUTE BAY - A 24-year-old man from Resolute Bay has become the first Inuk to earn a degree in electrical engineering.

Joannie Pudluk, son of former MLA Ludy Pudluk, graduated last month from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering.

Joannie Pudluk of Resolute Bay graduated last month from the University of Ottawa with a degree in electrical engineering. He is the first Inuk to do so.- photo courtesy of Joannie Pudluk

"We're very, very proud. I didn't expect any of this to happen when he was a little baby," Ludy said. "He never dropped out. He finished what he was planning to do."

The graduate has since been offered a job at Nunavut Power, where he previously worked as a summer student.

He is now back home in Resolute for a break before moving to Iqaluit in July.

"I wanted to go back to Nunavut - that was my choice," he said. "I'm still kind of nervous - there's a whole lifestyle change, but I'm getting excited."

Joannie, who moved to Ottawa in 2001, said it was a lot of work, but worth every minute.

"It was hard getting used to all the homework - it was so much busier down there than in high school," he said. "We learned new things every day, whereas in high school you learn new things every week. But I like learning."

On days when the pressure became too much, he said he learned to take a break, and "play at the arcade for a little while or something."

His family and friends were also a big support, he said.

"It's pretty cool - not too many people go to university here," he said. "People are congratulating me and my family is excited."

Throughout his five years down south, his father said he made sure Joannie still spent time on the land when he returned home on vacation.

"When he came home in the summertime, I took him out hunting - he got beluga and seal and caribou, things like that, and he really enjoyed it," he said. "I taught him hunting when he wasn't in school, but I didn't interfere when he was in school.

"Maybe when he has free time he can be a good hunter like me," he joked.

In keeping with that family tradition, the first thing Joannie did upon returning home was to spend a few days out camping with his family and friends.

"We went down to the island to go fishing. That was a celebration for him," Ludy said.

"No computers - no homework," Joannie said. "It was great."

Looking forward, the recent graduate said he might like to work for a few years to save money for his own business.

"But it's one step at a time," he said.