Myrna-Lynn Gabriel still remembers what it was like to go from night classes at McGill campus to online courses with the McGill School of Continuing Studies’ Certificate in Indigenous Business Management.
“It was huge,” says Gabriel, who completed the program in 2017. “It was a change of lifestyle. Being able to attend my studies online just made time management so much easier.” As a mother of two with a full-time job, eliminating the one-hour commute from Kanehsatà:ke, northwest of Montreal, to attend class was tremendous.
“I loved my studies, but the online schedule was so much better. The registration process was easy, there’s a great administrative team, everything was good. Streaming was [initially] difficult, but I found a place within the community to take my classes, so it worked out well.”
When she began the certificate, she was a Program Coordinator for the Kanehsatà:ke Human Resources Office, and it was “exactly what I needed. Much of what our program offered was help for first-time business owners, and now I was learning about starting a business. So while I was doing my studies, I was looking for potential in what our community could offer: for economic growth, and to stimulate our economy. Especially in a First Nations community, because our dynamics are different and our reality is different.”
By the time she completed her certificate at McGill, Gabriel had a new job as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer for Correctional Services Canada. So while she’s no longer advising potential business owners on financial projections, she’s still using the management and leadership skills she learned in the program. “I lead inmates through their correctional plan; I help them prepare for a job, plan for the future, and ultimately help them become better people. Thanks to my studies, I’m able to give them the tools to do that. I can honestly say that everything that I learned is coming to fruition. It’s being used and practiced.”
Looking back on all that she’s accomplished in her career, she’s proud of all she’s done for her community, her family, and herself. “The School of Continuing Studies helped bring me where I am today.”