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Public Administration

Celebrating Nakoda Ward - A recent graduate with a minor in PA and Diploma in ICDG

June 29, 2026

Image of Nakoda Ward walking down a path. There is forest on one side and the city on the other.

UVic Graduate Nakoda Ward completed a Humanities degree program that included our Minor in Public Administration AND a concurrent Diploma in Indigenous Community Development and Governance (ICDG) - the first student to complete this combination. Nakoda's passion for their studies has been truly inspiring, and we are proud to have them as such an engaged part of the School of Public Administration community.

"Being Anishinaabe, my culture has always been something I hold close to my chest. Alongside my degree, I also completed a diploma in Indigenous Community Development & Governance. Since I also plan to pursue law school, I chose to minor in Public Administration to strengthen my understanding of policy, jurisdictional, and economic issues. Combining an IS major, PA minor, with an ICDG Diploma allowed me to bring together both my personal passions and long-term career goals.

The First People’s House at UVic provides Indigenous students with opportunities such as Research Apprenticeships through LE,NOṈET. With this, I was able to develop a research opportunity in collaboration with LE,NOṈET and the School of Public Administration, under the supervision of Dr. Susanne Thiessen. My research focused on the integration of Indigenous governance principles within institutional policy development."

Photos provided by Nakoda Ward to UVic Photo Services.