HANNAH BLISS LYRETTE from Toronto, Ontario, completed her post-secondary education at Central Peel Secondary School. After completing her studies, she opted for a college path focused on web development. However, she soon discovered that the Western educational approach did not resonate with her. In search of a different learning environment, she embarked on a new journey. Approximately a year ago, Hannah came across a Facebook post, introducing her to a new program called IndigiTECH by the Indigenous Friends Association (IFA).

Motivated by her enthusiasm to get into the tech sector and lifelong affinity with computers, Hannah enrolled in the program with the aim of exploring advanced career opportunities in the tech sector. Through participation in IndigiTECH, Hannah honed her expertise in web development, user experience design, and graphic design. She fondly remembers crafting a website for an Indigenous artist using CodeSandbox and engaging in graphic art creation with tools like Krita and Canva.

Additionally, Hannah utilized Figma through Jumping Elephant, IFA’s partner, where comprehensive design modules were taught during classes. This enabled her to develop her own web application, delve into user experience design, and map out the users’ journey on websites.

One particularly impactful experience for Hannah was her involvement in the Wavemakers virtual reality platform. In this virtual reality learning environment, she navigated a virtual campus where she attended classes and a virtual job fair. This immersive encounter sparked an idea that she later incorporated into the Creating Impact Project—a vision to establish a virtual learning environment for Indigenous youth, eliminating the need for extensive travel. Hannah observed that a standout feature of the IndigiTECH program was its holistic approach. She valued the program’s incorporation of the medicine wheel, which addressed not just the physical but also the mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being of all participants.

After completing IndigiTECH training, Hannah secured a position as a Communications Intern at the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council. In this role, she focused on tasks such as crafting and scheduling social media content, designing posters, newsletters, MailChimp campaigns, and overseeing Google Analytics. Starting as an Intern, Hannah has since progressed to her current position as the Knowledge Translation and Communications Specialist. Looking ahead, Hannah expressed a keen interest in returning to school to study Indigenous Governance. Her goal is to contribute to developing policies that positively impact the well-being of Indigenous Peoples.