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INUVIK - Nigit'stil Norbert has never been afraid to embrace her creative spirit and drive for adventure.

Whether travelling across the world to China as part of the Canada World Youth program or aboard a ship to Japan, India, and Kenya, the 23-year-old has taken it all in.

Former Inuvik resident and Ryerson University student Nigit’stil Norbert stands beside her prized series piece titled "Reflect" that was selected from hundreds of student entries to be displayed in a gallery in Toronto. - photo courtesy of Nigit’stil Norbert

She took her camera along to capture some of the more memorable moments.

It was on these journeys that the Samuel Hearne Secondary School graduate resolved she would follow her dream to be a photographer.

Fast forward to now and Norbert is thriving in her second year of a four-year Fine Arts Photography degree at Ryerson University in Toronto, one of the best programs of its kind in the country.

Her work was among 60 chosen out of 300 competing student submissions to be displayed at two gallery showings in the city from April 16 to 19.

Though she spent only her high school years in Inuvik, she remains tied to her Gwich'in roots. She said her roots provide her with a source of strength.

She remains especially close with her father, Lawrence Norbert, who lives in Inuvik and is the Gwich'in Tribal Council spokesman. He paid her a surprise visit in Toronto to take in one of her showings. Her grandmother is from Tsiigehtchic.

"I'm very proud of my Gwich'in culture," she said. "It's the reason why I want to succeed so much, just because I know where I come from and I have a strong background. I have strong role models. Having that support, having the people around me who believe in me, that's really why I'm here."

She works with 35 mm cameras, staying away from digital. Her speciality lies in nature shooting. For her, it's about capturing that spontaneous magical moment in nature.

"That what I'm really passionate about," she said.

Her work that was selected for showing is a series titled "Reflect," in which she captures a reflection of a tree in water and then inverses the image to make it look real.

"I love challenging the way the viewer thinks and sees my work. It's a lot about abstraction," she said.

She has her sights set high, having ambitions to someday work for National Geographic magazine.

As she walks firmly on her path to success, she hopes to be a role model for young aboriginal women living in the North.

"I want them to know that if you're passionate about something and you have a desire to do something, then do it," she said. "Don't hold yourself back. Find your own way. You have to know what you want and work hard to get it."