One of 25 touchdowns this year scholarship The Indigenous Peoples Award recipient is from the Onion Lake Cree Nation.
“TD places great value on the work that I do, so for me to qualify for this award, it’s very, very meaningful,” Dante Carter said Friday.
Carter is a member of the Prairie Region Response Team for the National Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a mentor to Indigenous students. Her mission is to create safe spaces for Indigenous people to fully express themselves.
“My grandpa was a residential school survivor, and before he died, people didn’t realize it was OK to be Indigenous and that you could celebrate your identity,” she said. “This is really about making an impact and creating a future for Indigenous people where they can celebrate their identity.”
She is pursuing an interdisciplinary master’s degree with a focus on Indigenous knowledges at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She will write her thesis on economic abuse in the upcoming academic year and then hopes to earn a PhD.
“I think it has had a significant impact, both emotionally and financially, and has relieved a lot of stress,” Carter said. “I had been told not to work while I was writing my thesis from September onwards, and this scholarship means I don’t actually have to work full-time while I’m writing my thesis.”
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Each successful applicant will receive $15,000 per year to cover tuition and living expenses for up to four years. Recipients will also receive an internship at TD and may be offered employment upon successful completion of their studies.
Carter currently works in TD’s Environmental, Social and Governance Strategy team. She hopes to continue in a similar position after graduation.
“I definitely want to continue in this position where I can have a direct impact on the well-being and economic success of Indigenous people.”
Launching in November 2022, the TD Aboriginal Scholarship Program is a partnership with the Aboriginal Finance Officers Association of Canada (AFOA). The program is open to members or citizens of a First Nations, Métis or Inuit community in Canada.
Pheroz Austin, vice-president of eastern Canada for TD Aboriginal Banking Group, said this year's applicant pool exceeded 1,200.
“This is a significant increase year-over-year and really demonstrates how important this need is,” Austin said. “It's also a real testament to TD Bank's engagement and commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action.”
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