At Home at Windsor

First-year law student Brittany Fish's great grandparents were full Cree. Fish identifies herself as Métis, a mix of aboriginal Canadian and French that she inherited through her mother's side of the family.

Growing up outside of the reserve system, Fish does not speak Michif, the unique Creole tongue of the Métis, but she identifies deeply with the proud traditions and profound struggles of the First Nation people of Canada.

After graduating from the University of Windsor in 2008 with an Honours Degree in Criminology and Sociology, she was admitted to Windsor Law. During the summer, she was able to participate in a remarkable program offered through the University of Saskatchewan called the Program of Legal Studies for Native People.

The eight-week program on Property Law gives aboriginal law students a chance to share their unique perspective on the law and to prepare for the difficult academic transition into law school.

At that program, Fish's peers spanned generations, from a 20-year-old to a woman in her sixties. Some had even been students in the infamous residential school system. One of Fish's professors was James Youngblood Henderson, a veteran lawyer and aboriginal law scholar who helped frame Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution.

Upon arrival at Windsor Law, Fish became secretary of the Aboriginal Law Students Association. The group participates in important fundraising campaigns for the Indigenous Bar Association — a national organization for judges, lawyers and students of aboriginal descent — as well as the University of Windsor's own Turtle Island Aboriginal Education Centre, from which Fish received a generous first-year bursary.

Fish laughs when she explains that there were only five members of the Aboriginal Law Students Association and two of them just graduated. But that is the beautiful part about the culture of the law school, she says.

"It's very diverse," says Fish. "People representing different cultures from all over." And unlike the huge undergraduate student body, "the law school is limited to around 150 people, so you really get to know everybody."

The biggest draw for Fish is the Access to Justice coursework, something she did not see at any other law schools. "They're really devoted to [the Access to Justice theme]," she says, explaining that one of the program's goals is to instill a sense of ethics and moral character in the students.

Looking ahead, Fish is very interested in an exchange program that would allow her to study and work alongside aboriginal communities around the world. In the mean-time, she is looking forward to next semester, when she will take her first Aboriginal Law course as well as courses on Torture and Terrorism, Criminal Procedure, and Personal Injury Law.

Learn more about the Program of Legal Studies for Native People and the Turtle Island Aboriginal Education Centre.