Samantha Morandin was the recipient of the 2021 Edets'seèdhzà Studentship Award, during her third year of Bachelor of Science in Nursing studies through the University of Victoria at Aurora College. 

As part of this studentship Samantha was involved in an Aurora College study led by Dr. Sheila Cruz that looked at medical travel for pregnant women from the Northwest Territories who travel to Yellowknife to give birth.

The study explored how women make decisions on who will travel to Yellowknife to support them when it’s time to deliver the baby, whether that helping individual be a partner, friend or family member. Read more about the study.

Samantha decided to pursue a nursing education because of her intrinsic interest in health and wellness. With a previous Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree with Honors from the University of Guelph she believes health care requires a holistic approach. Specifically, she thinks you must incorporate a client’s mind, body and spiritual needs into their care in order to achieve overall well-being.

Her favourite part of Northern nursing is working with the diverse Indigenous populations. In the future she plans to use the Hotıì ts’eeda and Aurora College Edets’seèhdzà Studentship Award to learn more about Indigenous health, traditions, medicines and ways of healing in order to provide superior culturally safe nursing care.