Malaspina First Nations student lands summer job at Smithsonian Institute

Think big.

That's what First Nations student Rose Alexis did when she applied for a summer job with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. To her delight, she starts a 10-week internship at the world-famous institute on June 6.

Alexis just completed her third year in the Bachelor of Arts, Major in First Nations Studies degree program at Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo.

Her internship takes place in the National Museum of the American Indian. "I'll work with a collections management employee on an educational traveling exhibit that complements an exhibit scheduled to open this Fall," said Alexis. "I haven't received all the details about my duties but I know they'll schedule some time for me to work in the repatriation office, which I'm really excited about.

"Ownership of First Nations cultural heritage is a big issue right now in the U.S. and Canada," she added. "I hope to learn how other First Nations are handling this."

Alexis is a member of the Okanagan First Nations in Vernon. Her studies at Malaspina have broadened her understanding of First Nations culture and peaked her interest in museum and heritage work.

After completing her first year at Malaspina in 2001, Alexis was accepted for a one-year internship program at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec, where she worked with curators in the Ethnology division, conservation, archives and the media.

 "It reinforced my interest in this field," she said. "I first learned about student opportunities at the Smithsonian while I was at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The practical aspects I learned there added to my confidence in applying at the Smithsonian Institute."

While enrolled at Malaspina this year, Alexis also studied at the University of Victoria in the Cultural Resource Management program, specializing in museum studies.

It took dedication and hard work to complete both programs simultaneously, but Alexis credits the support and encouragement she received from family, the Okanagan Nation, and Malaspina's Elders in Residence, Ellen White and Ray Peters.

"They all have been wonderful," she said.

Alexis graduates from Malaspina in June 2006 and hopes to seek employment in the heritage sector. "I'm not sure where I'll end up working," she said. "Anything is possible."