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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - When Sarah Jerome took her four kids to Saskatchewan for three years to complete her Bachelor of Education, her grandmother's parting words before she died in January 1987 are etched in her heart forever.

Anna May Andrew-Niditchie looks on as Sarah Jerome talks about the benefits of spruce gum and how it is a medicine for the body. Jerome is dedicated to working with youth, teaching them about the importance of culture and language, something she plans to take into her new job as the NWT language commissioner. - Andrew Livingstone/NNSL photo

"She said when I was finished my schooling to come back and work for my people," Jerome said.

In March, the Fort McPherson-born resident was named the new language commissioner for the NWT. A dedicated and passionate educator, one who firmly believes in instilling younger generations with knowledge of land, language and culture, Jerome is looking forward to the new challenge she faces.

"I am always looking for a challenge," she said. "In all my positions it was because of my people, our students, our youth. That's what mostly motivated me to do that and because my grandmother had always encouraged me to work for the people.

A long-time educator who worked in many capacities from teacher, to principal, to assistant superintendent of the Beaufort-Delta Education Council, Jerome speaks with pride. She said her dedication is at the grassroots level, working for the people and asking nothing in return.

"The titles never meant anything to me, it never went to my head," she said. "Sometimes when you hire people for management positions they go off the deep-end. They forget about their heritage and for me it was always to work for the students and give them the best education they can get."

A student of residential schooling, Jerome was the first in her family to graduate. She said the experience was difficult and created obstacles for her, but adds the empowerment that came out of that time in her life has been fuel for her fire.

"Through residential school we didn't have a voice," she said. "A lot of times we weren't asked how we were feeling or doing and we walked out as robots. We didn't have our own opinion and all our decisions were made for us.

"It's part of taking my power back and to show that despite all the barriers I got my education."

Jerome thrives on challenge. After graduating from residential school she was asked to enter into an experimental teaching program for aboriginal students with 14 of the best students in the NWT.

"They wanted a traditional Gwich'in speaker," she said. "I was there with some of the best students in the North. Boy, did I ever work."

With her dictionary in hand she would write down words she heard used in class because her English wasn't very strong.

"I couldn't even understand what they were saying sometimes," she said. "After class when everyone was going home I would pick through my dictionary to find out what the words meant. That's how I taught myself English."

Criticism comes with any job and some have difficulty accepting criticism and stumble at the sight of it. Not Jerome.

"For me I always turn criticism around as constructive and I take it and run with it," she said. "I don't like to look at anything negatively and I want to be in a position where I can accept what comes my way. I have to be open-minded and offer the best help and advice I can. People are going to want me to advocate for their language. It's going to be challenging. I want to help in any way I can."

Jerome said she has a strong sense of pride for not just her language, but for the 11 official languages in the NWT and plans to advocate for each of them.

"It's my passion, the language and culture," she said. "When I work with the teaching and learning centre from 1982 to 1987, it was all for the language.

"To be proud of who you are, you need to have a foundation of where you came from. With the language being so important to convey that, in my lifetime I advocate for it because in order to be proud of the language you need the culture."