"I always have been a tough one, and I think it served me well. I didn't buckle under the sadness or the pressure once I graduated. I studied hard and worked at a diner to pay my own way through school. The captivity part of the Institutions may have ended, but the stigma of being First Nations never ends. It's harder for us to get jobs. We face so much prejudice in every day life. But that's just the way it is now. We just have to work even harder because of it, and not to ever lose sight of who we are. The everyday comments I get don't make me feel ashamed of my culture, but rather only make me more proud. I guess it's a form of defiance, but I'll take it. I need to prove to people that I am just as capable, despite my past. That's part of why I'm now in school getting my full degree. Actions speak louder than words. I am a First Nations woman who survived the Residential School System and am now studying to get my Master's degree. I am strong when I am with my people. I am proud."