MITTIMATALIK/POND INLET - If you ask Grade 11 student Dina Koonoo at Nasivvik School what she thinks a role model is, she will give you this definition:

"They have a positive attitude, can do anything and are nice to other people," she said.

Dina Koonoo and National Aboriginal Role Model Heidi Langille get ready to throatsing for the senior high school students at Nasivvik School in earlier this month. - photo courtesy of Tessa Lochhead

She said this definition applies to Heidi Langille who was named by the National Aboriginal Health Organization as one of 12 National Aboriginal Role Models across Canada.

Langille visited the school and the community for a couple days the week of Feb. 7.

Born and raised in Ottawa, Langille told students of all ages about why it is important to make healthy choices and some of the experiences she has had in her life.

"It is all about making the small choices - even if you don't want to go to school, do you still go?" she said.

The 30-year-old grew up with an Inuk father from Labrador so she told the students she is used to eating caribou and seal.

Langille helped create the Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre in 2005 and stays in touch with her Inuit roots by throatsinging, drum dancing and speaks some Inuktitut. An avid and talented hockey player, she has played provincially, nationally and internationally.

Grade 11 student David Jr. Panipak said he thought it was cool to see how hockey took Langille to various places.

As well as holding a hockey workshop after school for girls and doing an interview on community radio, a big part of the message Langille had to share was getting youth to nominate who they see as role models.

Panipak said he nominated Koonoo.

"She's better at everything that I can do like hip hop and has put more effort into it," he said.

While Langille said she might not feel like a role model, her message got through to the youth.

"We really do need more aboriginal people that are role models," Panipak said.

For teacher Tessa Lochhead this is great to hear.

She said after listening to Langille, the students are better able to recognize that there are a lot of role models in their lives.

"It empowers students and allows them to realize a lot about themselves."

Koonoo, who is a very active community volunteer, said she wants to be a strong woman like Langille when she gets older.

NAHO will be taking nominations for role models until March 4 and nominators have the chance to win an iPod.

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