The Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii Indigenous Student Services (GMISS) team assembled for a group photograph to celebrate their work. From left: Sam Dyer, Diane Simone, Sheila Saikkonen, Sloan Miller, Bradley Gibson, Monica McKay, Brian Norton, Christa McKay-Kosolofski, Amy Desjarlais and Taye Alvis. Photos by Carrie Davis.
On September 25, 2024, Gdoo-maawnjidimi Mompii / We Gather Here Indigenous Student Services (GMISS) celebrated 30 years of empowering Indigenous students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The team brought together students, faculty, alumni and staff to honour GMISS's collective achievements and impact in fostering academic, personal and cultural success.
The celebration included commemorations, songs, drumming, dancing and a keynote speech by Waubgeshig Rice, Anishinaabe writer, journalist and TMU alumni.
Speakers praised Monica McKay, director of Indigenous Initiatives, Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion (OVPECI), for founding and fostering GMISS's growth. In the spirit of ongoing Truth and Reconciliation at the university, speakers applauded GMISS' role in amplifying Indigenous voices while acknowledging that, like reconciliation efforts more broadly, there is still much work to be done.
