Career Services’ event on Nov. 26 highlighted the success and hard work of Indigenous students and alumni who have participated in the program over the years

As the Indigenous Student Employment Readiness Program (ISERP) congratulated its current and past students in the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre last month, The Sheaf got an inside look from some of its organizers, students and alumni.

ISERP is a career-readiness program exclusively offered to Indigenous undergraduate students at USask that uses Indigenous ways of learning and knowledge, designed to prepare students for the workplace. ISERP is a 33-hour-long program offered during the fall, winter or spring term, and students who participate receive a $500 honorarium upon completion. 

The program consists of weekly workshops that run from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Topics include job search and portfolio help, developing networking skills, financial literacy and remote work etiquette.

Tristyn Sachkowski, an Indigenous Career Educator and the program lead for ISERP, explains that a part of this program offers a unique two-world teaching approach. “I start the program by telling the students I would not be doing justice to your career education if I only provided you with Indigenous knowledge, because that’s not our current job market.”

“We try to have that balance where I’m providing [students] with the knowledge of what they need to know about Western culture and preparing Western documents, like resumes, cover letters, those kinds of things.”

“We’re welcoming Western world views alongside our Indigenous world views, because that’s what reconciliation is. It’s welcoming all viewpoints into the same space and understanding that they can all exist together.”

“It’s [also about] acknowledging that the values we take into the workplace are deeply ingrained from our Indigenous identity. As a Métis woman, I know that how I carry myself as an Indigenous person around campus, in my job, in my work, is really important to me.”

ISERP conducts land-based learning events for its students once a month throughout the two-month-long program. As Sachkowski explains, “I invite experts from the community, knowledge keepers [or] elders from the community, to come in and share any traditional skills that they would like to share with the students. I myself have taught students how to make medicine pouches, because I was gifted the teachings for that.”

Sachkowski notes that a lot of Indigenous ways of knowing also share similarities with professional practices. “Interviewing has such a beautiful connection to storytelling—because that’s what it is. You’re telling your story. And it’s the same thing with networking—you’re sharing your story.”

Sachkowski also explains that the community building encouraged by the program is one of its most important aspects. “It is such a beautiful thing to witness, especially seeing these young adults and mature students connect with one another. I find it especially beautiful too when it’s students who are from completely different walks of life getting to share in and make memories doing things like making medicine pouches or doing a workshop on something [where] they would have never interacted before without ISERP, and then seeing them be friends after.”

“I think this happens because we meet weekly and we all sit down together. It’s that weekly connection for all of us, [even] that weekly vent. For some students, they’re walking in, dropping their stuff and we’re just venting. And I’m like, ‘tell me everything, I’m here to listen.’ They talk amongst each other, and they’re offering each other support.”

Another part that ISERP prepares students for is the uncomfortable and often harmful realities of workplace discrimination, racism and tokenism. “I always tell the students,” Sachkowski explains, “I hope you never have to deal with this, but the reality is, you may come across it.”

Sachkowski explains how the program addresses these situations in many ways. “The most powerful is having conversations where we do address those issues, and then we have a group conversation as part of our weekly workshops where we [ask] ‘What would you actually say if somebody said this to you?’”

“[We] provide students with different scenario examples for them to read through, and then we go through it together.”

As Sachkowski explains, the chance to practice scenarios also extends to other parts of the program, such as negotiating salary with an employer, among other things. “I would say the biggest thing we do would be giving them not only advice, but a chance to practice, in a place that they feel safe to do so and practicing it with other people, and saying the words out loud.” 

Another aspect of ISERP is that it vets employers to determine if they align with the program’s values to ensure that students are safe and respected if hired. “[We] interview these employers, see what their values are, how they’re contributing to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, what their organization is doing as a whole and [ask] why they’re interested in hiring Indigenous students. That question is very telling, and you can learn a lot about somebody by how they answer that.”

ISERP partners with numerous community organizations and businesses that participate in networking and doing mock interview workshops for the students in the program. The list of partners covers a wide range of fields to accommodate the diversity of interests in its student participants.

The Sheaf also had the chance to speak with some current students and alumni of ISERP, who spoke about their personal experiences with the program.

Johnny Cross, a third-year Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) major in the College of Education, says that “the program really helped me a lot to cultivate those career building skills, like having a LinkedIn profile, having an up-to-date resume, what things can go on a resume, how to make it look nice and [so] that you look like a professional.”

“One of my favourite experiences was just being in the classroom with Tristyn and the other members of ISERP because it was cool having that little community between ourselves. Beyond that, we did have land-based stuff … we had that outdoor experience with elders coming in and sharing teachings, what their experience is like within the workforce and stuff like that, and also grounding us in the lands that we’re on through tradition and stories.”

“I would say that you should join the ISERP because it really does feel like a home away from home. It’s a nice little community-building place so that you know that you’re not the only Indigenous student on campus. There is a community for you beyond the ISERP as well, but the program is a great introduction to that community on campus.”

Kashina Alexson, another third-year ITEP student, says that “I was really wanting to try something new, even if it was volunteer work or something … It was once a week for about two months, and even that was amazing [because] if I couldn’t make it, I could just let her know. That worked for me, and [Tristyn] was very flexible. I have two kids, and she said if you have no one to watch them, or if they don’t have school, bring them—they’re more than welcome.”

Anteia Waldron, an alumnus of ISERP and the current Oyateki Student Advisor in the Office of the Vice-Provost Indigenous Engagement, shares that her favourite experience from the program was meeting Indigenous alumni. “The networking [part] of it and seeing people who were in my shoes succeeding. I always tell this to my students here: ‘Look at us, we’re doing amazing things, and you can do amazing things too.’ A lot of students—Indigenous and non-Indigenous—don’t always see that. In high school, we’re told this narrative [that] ‘not everyone’s made for university and just get a job and be grateful.’ [But] to know that there’s just so much more out there for you is so gratifying.”

When asked about her favourite part of the program, Sachkowski replied: “The students. They mean everything to me … I feel I learn so much, not [just] as an Indigenous person, but as a human being. I connect with so many different students on a day-to-day basis, and I have learned so many different things from each of them that have shaped me into who I am now.”

“Before I came into this program, I was a Grade 5 teacher. Coming into the post-secondary space, I was so nervous … and they were just so welcoming. I feel not only have I created a community for the students, but they’ve also welcomed me as part of it. I see them around campus, and they’re saying hello, they’re introducing me to their families and connecting me with their families, which is so special.”

Sachkowski says that her pitch to Indigenous students who might not be sure about taking the leap into ISERP is: “I would be honest with them and say, ISERP is a great space, not only to learn about career readiness skills, but to connect with other students who are on similar journeys to you and to find your community on campus.”

ISERP applications for the 2026 winter term open in January, and the program runs from February to March. Interested students are encouraged to visit the ISERP page on the USask website or contact Tristyn Sachkowski at Career Services for more information.