Charlotte Ross

Areas of research/expertise

Indigenous education & languages; Mental health; Psychology of learning; Indigenous language revitalization

What would you like others to know about you?

My first language that I was raised in is Cree (Woodland TH dialect). My home territory is located in northern Saskatchewan; although I now make my home in southwestern Saskatchewan. My greatest honour in life is to be a mother, an aunty and a grandmother. Prior to becoming a doctoral student, I was a full-time Consultant & Trainer specializing in Indigenous Langage Revitalization and Treaty Education across Saskatchewan. I have been contributing to higher education for the past thirty years as an Instructor and Program Advisor working closely with First Nation funding agencies. My graduate degree was in Adult Continuuing Education while my undergraduate specialization was in Native Studies. I believe that I needed to have a solid foundational understanding of our history as Native / Aboriginal / Indigenous peoples in Canada to connect to the traditional teachings that had been covered for many generations as it was not safe to speak about our practices without being punished. I love learning and growing as a person while also being gifted to teach others. I provide Indigenous Language Revitalization support to a program in SK while also co-delivering a Conversational Cree coffee group with another Cree teacher who is also a speaker. In my spare time, I love to cook for my family and visit with friends and family on the phone. My special place to go is up north at my family’s traditional trapline where there is no electricity, no running water, sporadic internet and plenty of trees, paths, rivers and lakes to get grounded.

What have you done so far, or what do you hope to accomplish during your graduate degree at UVic?

In my first year, I travelled every six weeks to Victoria from Saskatchewan to attend a one week class intensive with my cohort. I am in my second year as a doctoral student in Indigenous Language Revitalization and I absolutely love every minute of being a student. The support of being in a group of learners who all have similar professional backgrounds and research interests is incredible.  I have taken advantage of, and really enjoyed, all of the additional webinars that I have accessed over the last term since finishing my course requirements in July. They have provided me with insight on research tools and have provided me with an opportunity to meet other students and share ideas.

Can you share an experience or something you've learned that other students might benefit from knowing more about?

My research will focus on the experiences of  Cree adults who were raised around the language but do not speak it and how they can be best supported to become speakers of the language. I love teaching my language and am curious about ways to support adult learners who have experienced intergenerational trauma and language loss.