UNews - Gayle Strikes

2012 Alumni Honour Society Inductees

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 20:05:19 +0000

Introduced in celebration of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's 35th Anniversary in 2002, the Alumni Honour Society recognizes the achievement of successful alumni within the global community. The alumni inducted into this prestigious group have served as role models to our students and the broader ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community through success in their vocation, outstanding community service or superior accomplishment in their avocation.

René Barendregt (BASc '71)

René Barendregt has been a faculty member of the Faculty of Arts & Science at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge since 1982 and took on the role of associate dean in 2001. Dedicated to his profession and respected by his peers, Barendregt's work in the field of physical geography is currently funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. In addition to his research, Barendregt has served the U of L community as a member of the Board of Governors, the Senate and the General Faculties Council.

Viola Cassis (BA '97)

Viola Cassis started her career in international humanitarian work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she was instrumental in revising the organization's guidelines on the prevention and response to sexual- and gender-based violence, and helped to develop policies to ensure gender-equitable access to UN refugee interventions. Cassis currently works with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and has been involved in various CIDA programs in Afghanistan. She has made field visits to Kabul and Kandahar to liaise with Canadian Forces, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and other government agencies.

Marilyn Smith (BFA '96) (Multidisciplinary)

Marilyn Smith has more than 30 years of experience in the arts and culture sector and is currently the executive director of the Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG). Since Smith took on this role in 1999, SAAG has increased revenue over 200 per cent, while membership, programming and sponsorship have also increased. Recently Smith oversaw renovations of SAAG and implemented a three-year strategic plan designed to capitalize on the new facilities. Last fall Smith was honoured with the 2011 Rosza Award for Excellence in Arts Management from the Rosza Foundation.

Gayle Strikes With A Gun (BEd '88)

Raised on the Piikani Nation in southern Alberta, Gayle Strikes With A Gun has been a leader in education for 25 years. After completing her bachelor of education, she worked as the project co-ordinator for the Four Worlds development project, an initiative aimed at helping Blood and Peigan women develop the skills and training necessary to prepare them for post-secondary education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Over the course of her career, she worked as a teacher, principal, assistant superintendent and acting superintendent in schools across Alberta and in the Northwest Territories. In 2011, Strikes With A Gun was elected the first female chief of the Piikani Nation where she remains committed to helping her people's youth.

Bruce Thurston (BASc '78)

With close to 35 years of experience in business, Bruce Thurston brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to his teaching role in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Management. He is also currently the CEO and president at Management Resource Services, a company that provides management consulting and training in leadership
development, organizational change, workforce diversity and staff development. In addition to his professional responsibilities, Thurston has generously served the community by volunteering his time with local organizations including the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, the Society of Management Accountants of Alberta and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

Keith Walker (BASc '79)

As the director of Library Services at Medicine Hat College, Keith Walker is respected for the innovation and passion he brings to his profession. As the first college librarian to serve as president of the Canadian Library Association in the organization's history, Walker successfully led a major review and restructuring that saw the organization's first balanced budget in over a decade and a doubling of memberships. In 2003, Walker received the Community and Technical College Libraries Outstanding Academic Librarian Award and the Industry Canada Award. The following year, he was honoured with the College and Technical Libraries Innovation Achievement Award.

This story first appeared in the June 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the entire issue in flipbook format, follow this link.

Strikes With A Gun stays true to her vision

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:07:14 +0000

Raised on the Piikani Nation in southern Alberta, newly elected Chief, Gayle Strikes With A Gun (BEd '88), spent her early childhood surrounded by a loving family whose values, teachings and examples had a significant impact on her life.

"I come from a large family of 12 siblings. In my early years we lived with my grandpa, Miikapi, where we were raised under the watchful guidance of aunts and uncles. I can remember my grandpa going out early in the morning to greet the day with a prayer and song," says Strikes With A Gun. "My mother taught us the values of honesty and trustworthiness. She worked hard to provide a warm and loving home for her family. My father, a carpenter and driver for medical transportation, always encouraged us to stay in school and do our best."

Alumna Gayle Strikes With A Gun is the Chief of the Piikani Nation.

Strikes With A Gun's formal education began in residential school and finished in the public system. Several years after her graduation, she attended the Henderson Business College in Calgary. After five years working in the city she returned home to the reserve, later applying to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"In 1984 I met Phil Lane, an associate professor at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. He informed me about a six-week ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Preparation Program aimed at increasing the number of Aboriginal teacher graduates from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, and encouraged me to apply," says Strikes With A Gun. "Components of the holistic program included physical, mental, spiritual and emotional development."

During the program, she participated in a goal-setting exercise that became very profound for her.

"I had been given some tobacco and instructed to find a place in the coulee where I could make an offering and ask Creator for guidance. I said – I am going to walk through the entrance doors as a student. Creator, give me strength to be able to finish this program so that I can walk out in four years and finish my degree – and I did," she says.

During her first year at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, professor Calvin Dupree asked her to develop four books on the Piikani Nation covering their food, clothes and culture. Strikes With A Gun, aided by her sister Pam, researched, took photographs and wrote the books. They also included audio tapes, recorded in Blackfoot, so that students could hear the language as they read along in English and Blackfoot.

"It was a big project and it is something I am very proud of. We worked on it over the summer and then had a big celebration in the fall to introduce these books, which are still in the curriculum lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," says Strikes With A Gun.

The following summer, she participated in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Preparation Program, this time as a leader. It was an opportunity to give back to the program that had prepared her so well for her academic journey. The experience as a leader was one she calls, "a nice introduction into education leadership."

Strikes With A Gun graduated in 1988 with a bachelor of education, social studies major, Native American Studies minor. She continued her relationship with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, working for a year as the project co-ordinator for the Four Worlds Development Project, an initiative aimed at helping Blood/Peigan women develop the skills and training necessary to prepare them for post-secondary education at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Strikes With A Gun has continued to value education, honesty and hard work. In her newest undertaking as the first female Chief of the Piikani Nation, one of Strikes With A Gun's concerns is for her people's youth.

"We must provide every opportunity for them to learn the Blackfoot language and participate in our culture and traditions," she says. "We need to provide them with opportunities for success. I would encourage our youth to attend the U of L; it is a very good place for First Nations students. I had a positive experience at the U of L. It is important for the youth to have positive self esteem and pride in themselves as they come from a long lineage of Piikani leaders."

She is very excited with her own leadership role.

"I will endeavour to do my best to be a good leader like my grandfathers and grandmothers of the past. I am so fortunate to come from the proud Piikani Nation in southern Alberta."

GET THE FACTS

· Strikes With A Gun has a son, Darcy, who is a culinary arts graduate of Lethbridge College.

· She is the first in her family to receive an undergraduate degree, and later earned a master's degree in education administration from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia.

· Strikes With A Gun started the first taxi service on the reserve, and also negotiated a contract for providing medical transportation from the Medical Services Branch.

· She planned and implemented the Beaufort-Delta Strategic Plan, which includes the Mission, Vision and Beliefs, Strategic Goals and Action Plan.

UNews - Gayle Strikes

2012 Alumni Honour Society Inductees

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Strikes With A Gun stays true to her vision

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