Michelle grew up in rural northern British Columbia on a large cattle farm & farming community. She moved to Alberta in 2001. She is proud to be both a Cree First Nations woman uniquely mixed with Norwegian and Latvian ancestry. She is a Samson Cree Nation band member, which is one of the four large First Nations Communities in Maskwacis, Alberta, a treaty 6 First Nations territory and also the community in which her late mother grew up.

Her first role in healthcare was a nursing attendant. Several years later she decided to follow her feather and transitioned to a Registered Nurse, graduating with a BScN from the University of Alberta in 2010.

Her nursing background and experience includes working in a variety of settings such as rural nursing, Emergency, Geriatrics and Medical/Surgical areas. She has worked in case management for Maskwacis Health Services Home Care in Alberta and was also the Indigenous RN Case Manager for the Awasisak Indigenous Health Team at The Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, AB. She also worked as a relief nurse in Manitoba at a remote Indigenous nursing station for a short time.

Michelle had the opportunity to work in many different settings and connect with clients from various backgrounds, journeys and cultures. This is something she is very grateful for as it brings such valuable understanding to her nursing experience and growth as a person.

Currently she is the Acute RN Case Manager & Direct Care Team Lead for Alberta Health Service's Home Care program in Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

She graduated the NSWOCC-WOC EP program in May 2021 and officially obtained her CNA Certification in WOCC(C) soon after. This incredible journey began with the starting support from her late mother and continued with the many supportive nursing mentors she has had the opportunity to cross paths with along the way.

She is honored to be an active member of the NSWOCC Indigenous Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Health Core Program, a program that continues to make changes that impact and improve the health and lives of Indigenous peoples across Canada.

~Kinanaskomitin