Justin Sidon

NEC has proven to be a safe place where I have been able to learn and grow.  The cultural/traditional values that NEC demonstrates is really important to me.  NEC has helped me see a brighter future for myself.  It’s like a family vibe.  There is a lot of attention and a lot of compassion and a lot of patience.  My dream is to gain the tools to go back to my community, Matsqui First Nation, and help them develop and grow in a good way.  Just like any community of people, they’re trying to evolve and grow. 

Shoshanna Wiley
AABE Instructor

Tori Delorme

NEC means culturally inclusive education.  There is a huge sense of community and friendship, the teachers are really supportive.  It means support in all aspects; there's cultural support, educational support, emotional support, just so that you can succeed.  I found a really big sense of community here and I like being a part of it.

Lillian Prince
AABE Program Manager

I feel really honoured to work at the Native Education College.  Ive been working here for many years and I really believe in Indigenous education, I believe in our people getting an education and moving forward.  I'm a residential school survivor myself and I never want what happened to our people to ever happen again.  I do the best that I can to offer the best quality education for our people, and to feel confident and be prepared for post secondary.  All my relations.  

Joshua Tom

A lot of my family graduated from here so those are the footsteps I'm following to achieve my own goals.  I'd like to eventually get a degree or maybe get into fine arts.  Getting to learn the classmates from our presentations and coming up with ideas together has been my favourite part.  Learning from a first nation background instead of following european history really changes it up.

Dennis Contois
AABE Instructor

NEC means a positive direction for Aboriginal peoples to take, it's a unique space with a heightened sense of community.  I am a former student here and now i'm an instructor, and there's nowhere else i'd rather be.

Cara Lewis

NEC means that I can move forward in my future and accomplish all the things I've wanted to do.  I'm most confortable when I'm at school, it's my comfort zone.  I've met so many amazing friends that I know I'll be friends with probably for the rest of my life.  I just love it here.

Wendy Stewart
AABE Instructor

Native Education College means a place for students to come and study and learn and be supported by a wonderful staff and faculty.  It's also a college that helps students feel confident in order to move on to post-seconday studies if that's what they are planning to do.  It's also a place where all nations come together, there is such diversity here and all students are learning from each other as well.  If you're wanting to come to a college that's very meaningful, then come to NEC.

Cliff Ryan

NEC is a place of learning on a holistic level, academic, spiritual, emotional, physical.  If you're having a spiritual need, one of the Elders will bring you to the spirit room and help you through it, brush you down, smudge you, whatever you prefer.  Emotionally, if you're having a panic or anxiety attack they have a counselling resource centre for that.  Physically, they go on walks at lunch time, and the dragon boat races.  For me it was a lot more than learning academics when I came here.

Kat Rivet

NEC means a new beginning.  The teachers and instructors are very hands on with helping to make sure you succeed.  It's a safe place to come to and the stress levels are lower than if you were to go to a larger school.

Sean Whonnock

NEC means family.  It's very family oriented and it's a school that I'm very proud that I came to.  I'm really happy and I plan on staying here, I tell everybody about it.  When I post on social media of the things I've accomplished like getting 98% on a test, people are always telling me they are really proud of me and I encourage them to come down here like I did.