I'd be happy to. Thank you for the question.

I grew up in a small French Métis community in southern Manitoba. I wasn't very well off, like many Métis families. I knew that I wanted to pursue an education but couldn't afford to go to university, so I was very fortunate to be recruited into the armed forces through a Métis recruiter when I was 16. I joined the naval reserve when I was 16 knowing that I would receive some funding for my education and would have a job. I was very fortunate to join the naval reserve. I did my basic training when I had just turned 17, in Borden, Ontario.

The money I made working in the reserves and the tuition reimbursement the Canadian Armed Forces offered reservists helped me attend my undergraduate program. Also, I credit most of my success to the values the CAF instilled in me through basic training and through my work in various domains in the Canadian Armed Forces.

I wasn't aware of Indspire until a bit later in my education, when I had to withdraw from university because I couldn't afford to live on my own in the city and attend university. I actually went to work full time in the navy for a few years to save some more money to go back to school. At that time, I learned of Indspire and applied and received some bursaries, which helped me go back to school. I was very fortunate in that case to go back to university to finish my undergraduate degree in economics.

All the while, I was working in the reserves, sometimes as a full-time class B or class C member in various parts of Canada and sometimes as a reservist on evenings and weekends at my home unit. After I finished my undergraduate degree, I worked in the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Air Force for about four years full time before deciding to pursue further education and going to law school.

When I went to law school, I was a bit better off because I'd been working full time in the Canadian Armed Forces and was able to save some money, but I also relied on Indspire for additional funding. That helped me not have to work two jobs while I was in law school. I still worked one job in the reserves, but I didn't have to take on additional debt and additional obligations.

Indspire really supported me throughout my career. I was allowed to pursue education that I wouldn't have been able to pursue without both Canadian Armed Forces support and Indspire support. I'm very fortunate, and I credit both the Canadian Armed Forces and Indspire for the support and opportunities they gave me and for my success.