Oakley Rain Wysote Gray is one of 20 recipients of the 2022 RBC Future Launch Indigenous Youth Scholarship.
Oakley Rain Wysote Gray of Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation, one of eight Mi’gmaq communities in Gespe’gewa’gi , has always loved the world of fashion. But the Two-Spirit artist has long noticed a void among the names driving the latest trends and styles. A lack of Indigenous representation motivated Gray to pursue fashion design at New Brunswick College of Craft and Design in present-day Fredericton.
“Many people within our own country have no idea what happened to us or who we are as people,” Gray adds. “What pushed me to enter this profession was to bring attention to the issue in a high-impact way. Each outfit is a visual representation of what happened.”“I’ve always been around my Mi’gmaq heritage, which is reflected in every detail of my work. I want to be the role model I never had!”
And education costs are only going up. During the 2021/22 school year, students enrolled full-time in undergraduate programs across the country paidWanda Wuttunee, a retired professor of Indigenous Studies at University of Manitoba, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Aboriginal Economic Development, and member of the scholarship’s selection committee, can speak to the difference this kind of support makes in the lives of the leaders of tomorrow.
Tracy Antoine can also attest to the impact education has on people’s lives, something often overlooked. Antoine is the vice-president of Indigenous Markets, British Columbia at RBC, and an executive champion of the BC Chapter of RBC Royal Eagles, a fellowship of Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees working together to raise awareness of and support for Indigenous culture throughout RBC.