BAKER LAKE
Andrea Phillips was standing at her locker in Baker Lake's Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School last year when a friend approached her.

Andrea Phillips, a student at Baker Lake's Jonah Amitnaaq Secondary School, tries out state of the art virtual testing equipment for Alzheimer's disease while she attended the Verna J. Kirkness Science and Engineering Program at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg in early June. - photo courtesy of Verna J. Kirkness

"She walked up to me and said, 'Would you be interested in this program? I know you like engineering. You're really good in science and math'," said Phillips, who just completed Grade 11.

She was interested and, with the help of her math teacher, started the ball rolling to attend the Verna J. Kirkness Science and Engineering Program with 52 other First Nation, Metis and Inuit students from across Canada. Phillips attended the program at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg from May 31 to June 6, with a full scholarship.

The program is run in honour and with the support of Dr. Verna J. Kirkness, a Manitoba Cree, member of the Order of Canada and lifelong advocate of aboriginal education, said the foundation's Arlette Raaen.

"Imagine doing research in some of the top science labs in the country," said Raaen.

Kirkness has stated, "Education is the key to the future of our young aboriginal people and an opportunity to be a science researcher for a week is an exciting and meaningful connection to the broad world of science. As the program becomes known, it will motivate our youth to consider science as an inspiring field of study."

Phillips wrote an essay on why she wanted to attend.

"And we needed a reference from a teacher saying that we had the brains to go to the university."

Obviously, her teacher thought she had the brains - and the will.

"Ever since I was a little kid I knew education came first. Ever since Grade 6, I've been planning and thinking of which university I want to go to."

Phillips chose robotics as her area of study.

"We were doing electronics and all that kinds of stuff. We went to different shops. One of the shops, they had robots moving around. It was really cool. I didn't even want to leave that room."

Along with hands-on work, Phillips met several graduate students. "They were making their way through Masters and PhDs."

Phillips was the only girl in robotics. Asked if she felt out of place or proud of being the only girl, she said, "I was proud."

Phillips was named one of four outstanding students in the program.

She was also the first student from Nunavut to participate, and she encourages other Inuit to go for it.

"I always wanted to be a mechanic. Now, I enjoy robotics more than mechanics."

Phillips built her own solar-powered robotic car, albeit a toy-sized one.

"I built it from pieces, tested it, and it actually worked," she said.

"I was so happy to work on it myself, experience with my hands ... not just have talks of it. I didn't want to leave."

Raaen added, "While doing actual research with some of Canada's most accomplished and renowned scientists, the students also had the opportunity to experience living on campus. Through this experience, the realization that university is not necessarily a foreign environment, but an extension of their learning and a place where they can feel a sense of belonging became a possibility."

Phillips is now considering the University of Manitoba as her post-secondary destination while other students won placements at the University of Saskatchewan.

In 2016, the University of British Columbia will also come on board to host a group of students.

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