A new trail of hope: Veronica's mission to uplift Indigenous women

Published on January 21, 2025

Life has given Veronica McRae (Bachelor of Business Administration - Accounting ’17) many roles: mother, sibling, wife, daughter, Indigenous advocate to name a few. She both embraces and celebrates these honours, while celebrating those around her. For Veronica, she believes it’s important to live with intention after completely changing the trajectory of her own life.

Veronica left home at 15 and found herself heading down a path “of destruction that was leading to an early death” through her struggles with alcohol and drug use and being surrounded by friends indulging in the same. When she became pregnant two years later, she says it was the wake up call she needed to change her life for the better. She was motivated to improve her situation and get sober for the sake of her daughter. Although it wouldn’t be easy, she knew education was key to providing that better life.

Despite the challenges she’s faced to attain an education, she persevered. Now, she is giving back by establishing a NAIT student award, focused on helping Indigenous, single mothers access the financial support to succeed in their studies.

Opportunity meets determination

Veronica was working as a bookkeeper in 2008 when the Government of Alberta offered 2 years of grant funding to cover post-secondary tuition, books and living expenses for Albertans who did not have a degree. 

“When I learned of this, I thought, ‘maybe this is my shot to go to school,’” Veronica says.

She was accepted into the accounting diploma program at MacEwan University but when she went to pick up her schedule, she was told that the funding had been exhausted.

“I was devastated. I had quit my job and was only going to embark on my educational journey because of the funding.” 

With encouragement from her eldest daughter, Veronica came up with a new plan. She called NAIT and spoke to academic advisor, Dawn Daymon and then-chair of business, Sam Fefferman. She pled her case for the one remaining grant spot available. 

 Thankfully, she was accepted to the business program. 

As a student, however, not everything was smooth sailing, says Veronica. She failed three courses and had to redo them.

“School was very hard. It was difficult being a single mom of two little girls while in full-time studies. At times, I would work part-time when there were breaks like at Christmas.”

But Veronica knew it would all pay off one day and remained determined through the struggles and setbacks. She was able to balance motherhood by doing some courses online. By the time she graduated with her degree in 2017, she had grown her family, getting married and having another child. She credits the flexibility of NAIT’s programming that allowed her to balance school and life.

“There was a lot to navigate but what I love about NAIT was that the structure and people were very accommodating.”

Student award to help Indigenous women blaze their own paths

 Veronica is a proud citizen of Métis Nation of Alberta. Her great grandmother is from Atikameg First Nation and her great grandfather is Métis from Wabasca.  

Through her hard work, Veronica was the first in her family to get a degree and the first to own property at a young age. She is grateful for being able to provide her family with a home.

“My children are the first in 5 generations to spend their entire childhoods in their family home, with their mom,” Veronica says, adding she grew up in foster care, her mom was part of the ’60s scoop, and her great-grandmother was in residential school. 

“I feel like my life is my ancestors’ answered prayers,” she says. “I'm making their tears worthwhile by pursuing excellence in all that I do. I am intentionally blazing a new trail, motivated by my family and people.”

A young Elise OminayakThe desire to be trailblazer, support women pursuing excellence, and honour her family and great-grandmother led Veronica to establish the Elise Ominayak award at NAIT. 

“I wanted to recognize the strength my great grandmother, Elise, had as a little girl in residential school,” says Veronica, inspired by her great-grandmother’s resilience during those years to pray and hope for a better future.  

Veronica wanted Elise’s name to be recorded in an uplifting, hopeful way, rather than just in a residential school’s annals. The Elise Ominayak Award will support a student who is an Indigenous, single mother because Veronica can relate to their challenges and wants to give them a boost as they strive to reach their goals.

Today, as a community engagement officer for Western Varieties Wholesale (an Indigenous products company), Veronica strengthens the company’s connections through networking, donations, sponsorships, promotions, and community building.  Work, she says, is forward-thinking and exciting, but requires her to reflect on her family, culture, personal journey and the pathway ahead.

“Being Indigenous for me is like being stretched constantly in 3 points in time; the past, present and future,” Veronica explains. “It can be exhausting but it's necessary work for our people to rise up. I am determined to do all I can to set a good example, and this award is part of that work.”