When Langara College nursing grad Sophie Mack was growing up in Bella Coola, she noticed something about the medical care her remote community received.
“I grew up here in this small little town on reserve. And I saw the inconsistencies in our healthcare system. You know, we never had consistent doctors or consistent nurses. They were all traveling medical professionals. I wanted a career in healthcare that would allow me to come back and provide that consistency and stability in services for our community.”
Providing that stability is exactly what Sophie has done for the last 12 years. But it wasn’t easy to get there. Sophie faced many obstacles when she was a student at Langara College. One of those obstacles was financial.
Her tuition fees were covered by the Squamish Nation, but she had to rely on bursaries for her living expenses.
“My biggest worries while I was a student were housing and access to food. I was a smalltown girl from the rez, and suddenly I was in a city all alone, having to fend for myself. Those bursaries helped me with that. You can’t go to school if you’re homeless.”
Besides the financial support, something else that helped Sophie while she was a student was access to the on-campus Aboriginal Centre, or what is now the Indigenous Gathering Space.
“That’s where I developed the most connections. It was a place for Aboriginal students to gather and connect. I still have friends that I’m in contact with. I also used the space to work on papers and to print off my final work. I just remember a lot of time spent in that little centre.”
Sophie graduated in 2009. Now she’s working as a community health nurse in Bella Coola. She spends her days spearheading communicable disease control programs, immunizing people in her community, and providing healthcare education. Sophie is proud that she’s been able to provide consistent, stable care to her community just like she always wanted.
We invite you to consider supporting nursing education in BC. Together, we can ensure that Langara College remains a leader in nursing education and continues to produce graduates who make a meaningful difference in healthcare. Help support nurses and invest in the future of our healthcare system.
