When Aaron Prosper was a young boy, he was taken to a lecture given by Nadine Caron. It turned out to be a night he would never forget, with a message he would carry with him every day since.
Caron is well known for being the first Canadian female general surgeon of First Nations descent. She is an inspiration to Indigenous people across the country and her words struck a chord with Prosper years before he made history of his own as the first Indigenous president of the .
âWhat I remember most is how she spoke of success,â says Prosper. âShe said success, in terms of our countryâs reconciliation, is not measured by who did something first. She said true success is about creating pathways so that more Indigenous people like her, and like me, can achieve their dreams and reach their goals.â
Today (Monday, October 1) is , which marks the beginning Miâkmaq History Month by recognizing the unique and special relationship between Nova Scotia and the Miâkmaq. For Prosper, elected as DSU president last spring, itâs more than just another day at the office â itâs one that highlights the significance of being the first Indigenous student union president in the history of ±«Óătv University.
Itâs a role, and responsibility, he embraces.
âIâm honoured to be the first, no question. Iâm honoured that so many students, from all walks of life, believed in me and gave me their vote of confidence,â says Prosper. âIf Iâm a trailblazer by doing this, thatâs fine, Iâll take that on. But my hope is that it inspires other Indigenous young people to take on these roles and see themselves in these roles.â
Shaped by community
Prosper grew up as a member of the before moving to Halifax to study at ±«Óătv. Now in his fifth year of the Bachelor of Science (Neuroscience) program, Prosper has his sights set on a career in medicine.
His upbringing in the largest Mi'kmaq community in the world has shaped everything about him, including how he presides over a union of close to 19,000 students. Â
âAs Indigenous people, our way of thought is never about the personal gain of an individual. Itâs about the gain of the community,â says Prosper. âOur frame of mind is not âWhat can I get out of this?â So Iâm taking this role wondering what I can do to help students gain from this. We take that approach in our community, trying to make a positive impact on everybody in the community with everything we do.â
Serving his community is nothing new to Prosper. He has routinely volunteered at events and centres throughout his life, including the Miâkmaw Kinaâmatnewey Red Road Project, the Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselling Association (NADACA), and other Miâkmaw organizations.
He is proud to be an ambassador for Miâkmaq education, culture and language, and strongly believes in learning from his communityâs elders. Over the years Prosper has absorbed a great deal of knowledge from a number of mentors and leaders in Eskasoni First Nation, and he says Albert Marshall in particular has had a lasting impact on the way he approaches classes, his presidency and the world in general.
Marshall is highly respected Elder of the Miâkmaw Nation and is widely known as a passionate advocate of cross-cultural understanding. Prosper sought Marshall out when he was considering running for student union president, and as usual his mentor provided sound advice. Â
âI take a lot of guidance from my elders. They have so much to pass on,â says Prosper. âI really look up to Albert Marshall. Heâs given me a lot of guidance and was one of the people who encouraged me to run for student union president.â
Leadership on campus
With the support of his family, friends, Elders and mentors, Prosper has set out to be a student union president who is relatable, approachable and open to feedback, whether itâs positive or negative. He says itâs an approach the entire student union staff and executive believe in.
âWe try to run things from a grass-roots level. We want to engage students and get a good feel for what the student voice is,â said Prosper. âAll of our executive, they take that workload very seriously. They all go above and beyond their portfolio to add to the student voice and improve student life. Iâm surrounded by great people [at the student union]. Every one of them is doing this because they want to help student success at ±«Óătv.â
Prosper has been meeting with students across ±«Óătv since the new academic year began in September. He stresses to students that heâs there to build relationship with them and for them, all in an effort to help them get the most from their time at Dal.
âI always say, ±«Óătv will challenge you like youâve never been challenged before,â said Prosper. âBut it will also reward you like youâve never been rewarded before.â