Ryerson University Yeates School of Graduate Studies appoints first Indigenous Advisor

By Rick Garrick

TORONTO—As the newly appointed Indigenous advisor with Ryerson University’s Yeates School of Graduate Studies, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg’s Riley Kucheran is looking to get more Indigenous university graduates interested in pursuing graduate studies.

“It all started because I had a really good graduate experience,” says Kucheran, a PhD candidate at Ryerson with a BA in Arts and Contemporary Studies and MA in Communications and Culture. “In grad school, I took a really critical look at my studies and even myself, and I started reaching out to community and getting really engaged at Ryerson. I was inspired at the possibility of what graduate education could do.”

Kucheran says grad school is transformative.

“More Indigenous people should be taking advantage of it,” Kucheran says. “It seems like all universities want Indigenous students right now, so we should take advantage while the window is open.”

Kucheran was hired on as the Indigenous advisor this past May. His role includes sharing tips with Advancement Services on how to attract more Indigenous candidates.

“I’ve had some great conversations with Indigenous students who — similar to me — never really knew what grad school could do,” Kucheran says. “So that is what my job has been so far; it’s just meeting with different people in the university to see how we can mobilize to better serve Indigenous students.”

Kucheran also works with the Office of Aboriginal Initiatives on reconciliation and other Indigenous initiatives.

“I’ve gotten an inside look into how the university is changing and how it’s adapting,” Kucheran says. “And that is really encouraging. It is slow moving, but there are lots of changes coming and there does seem to be a genuine commitment to reconciliation.”

Kucheran’s role is to advise prospective students, work with current students to identify their needs and work with Graduate Studies to foster institutional change.

“You can choose to do anything [for your master’s or PhD], and that is what I try to tell students,” Kucheran says. “People think that a master’s degree or a PhD is about writing a big dissertation that is going to live on some dusty library shelf, but my dissertation is about mobilizing Indigenous fashion designers. So it’s more about community building. I might have to eventually write something for the library, but the real work is in community building.”

Kucheran encourages Ryerson’s Indigenous students to reach out to Ryerson Aboriginal Student Services, which provides a culturally supportive environment to promote academic excellence and a place to balance academic learning with traditional teachings and culture.

“It’s like a second home — it’s a room where you can just surround yourself with other Indigenous folk from across the country,” Kucheran says. “It’s just this incredible safe space where you can decompress, and that is how I got involved with the community. I would encourage all students in any university to do the same.”

Kucheran says graduate students have the opportunity to start-up a business or get involved with organizations and boards.

“Typically, everyone has a project they are working on,” Kucheran says. “I’m on the Research Ethics Board and work with NaMeRes, Toronto’s Native Men’s Residence, and I’m currently organizing the relaunch of Ryerson’s Pow Wow. It’s giving me great time management and project management experience, and we’re going to create a really beautiful event for the urban Indigenous community.”

The Ryerson University Pow Wow is scheduled for Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kerr Hall Gymnasium.