Communication Services

She loves science (chemistry is her favourite) and she wants to be a role model for her Aboriginal peers.

It was obviously the right formula as Kristina-Lynne Teegee has won a National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Award worth $1,800.
The second-year CNC university transfer science student is finishing her prerequisites with plans to enroll in the college’s dental hygiene program next year.

All she did was write an essay about her future.

“I was surprised I received it,” the 19-year-old said. “I want to be a role model, work as a dental hygienist and work on a reserve.
“I like helping people and dental hygiene is a needed service on reserves.”

Promoting dental health is a family affair for Teegee. While growing up in Fort St. James, her mom was a Certified Dental Assistant for 21 years. She completed her final few years of high school at Prince George senior secondary and knew then she wanted to make a living as a dental hygienist.

She enrolled at CNC to begin her journey. While the program is challenging, science comes easily to Teegee, who holds an A average in chemistry.

The National Aboriginal Achievement Awards were established in 1993 to encourage and celebrate excellence in the Aboriginal community. The Awards recognize the outstanding career achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, in diverse occupations. NAAF created the Awards in 1993, in conjunction with the United Nation’s International Decade of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.

Teegee wasn’t the only CNC student to receive an award. Tammy Brown, 29, received $3,400 from the National Aboriginal Health Careers category to help her in her Dental Assistant studies.

The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation has evolved into the largest non-governmental funding body for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis post-secondary students across Canada. Bursary and scholarship awards are provided to more than 600 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis students annually across a diverse range of disciplines.

In total, NAAF has disbursed more than $32 million to more than 8,400 recipients since its inception. NAAF offers financial assistance (scholarships and bursaries) through four major categories: Post-Secondary Education, Fine Arts, Health Careers, and Oil & Gas Aboriginal Trades & Technology.