Against the odds

Rhonda Goodman has spent the past couple of years working full time, raising nine children and earning a diploma in early childhood education with a 4.0 grade point average.

Graduating from Oshki-Pimache-O-Win Education and Training Institute, Goodman – one of 49 people graduating from the school this spring – said the last couple of years have been a struggle.

"It’s been tough for me as a mother of nine children to make it through, but I remained determined and I’m so happy today," Goodman said. "I feel so empowered and it was a totally exhilarating experience."

The question of how she accomplished graduating at the top of her class while caring for her family was something people were asking her all day. She couldn’t have done it alone, she said.

"My biggest supporter was my husband because the hardest part was leaving my children at home and he took care of them," said the Sandy Lake native. "And Oshki – oh my gosh – I can’t say enough about how much they did for me. They really believed in me and just egging me on all along and giving me all the encouragement I needed. They were there for me; they cared about me."

And Goodman didn’t forget about her friends, who she said could encourage her with just a smile.
"Every little thing helps," she said.

Goodman was 16 when she had her first child and it was that moment when she realized children were her passion. In Sandy Lake, she works at the Aboriginal Head Start centre.

"Children give me something," she said. "When I’m able to be part of their lives, it’s really special to me. I don’t how to say it in words. Being a worker in my community, I have this wonder opportunity to give back."

The Oshki graduation ceremony was held at the DaVinci Centre in Thunder Bay Friday afternoon and Goodman said it was a special day for her as it signaled a new beginning.

The 49 students graduating made it the education institute’s largest graduating class, which was something Oshki-Pimache-O-Win was very proud of, said executive director Rosie Mosquito.

The programs have grown leaps and bounds over the last five years and Mosquito said it reflects a large demand for post-secondary education and training.

"It more so reflects the need for Aboriginal institutes like ours because our students are saying that they’re staying in their programs, completing their programs because it’s an institution that provides culturally appropriate programming and they appreciate the role models that are there at the government level, at the management level, at the faculty level," she said.

Mosquito added it’s important the government hears that demand because institutes like Oshki can make a difference in decreasing the education gap between Aboriginals and mainstream Canada.