“It is sad that in some areas of careers and employment we are still waiting for the first, but it gives me hope to know how our young females are feeling empowerment and confidence to be leaders,” said Meyer, who is set to retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year.Meyer’s childhood was not easy. There was poverty and racism. But she persevered. Her love of learning and school being a safe place — at most times — led her to a lifelong career and passion, she said.
When she got to ITEP and into the teaching community, she found more people to look up to and learn from. Her Inuit professor at ITEP was her first Indigenous role model educator, Meyer said.Article contentIn her third year as a teacher, she encountered her first female principal. Renowned elder Maria Linklater “instilled and rekindled a lot of cultural teachings through her stories,” she added.Meyer began her career in 1991 and has worked as a teacher, vice-principal and principal. In 2006 Meyer was rewarded with the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Excellence for the Aboriginal Initiatives Award.
“We are still in a society mindset where we have to prove ourselves in a higher standard than the next employee,” she said. “Don’t ever feel alone. There are so many role models ready to help you through the rough times.