Live long and Prosper
Eskasoni medical student recognized with award
Aaron Prosper is looking to the future with a solid understanding of the past.
The 21-year-old Eskasoni man was recently recognized for his dedication to aboriginal education as he was named Dalhousie University’s student councillor of the year, an award bestowed annually on a student who has demonstrated a commitment to collaborative problem solving, active representation of their constituency and has displayed initiative in the pursuit of innovation.
For Prosper, that means doing everything he can to ensure the university’s indigenous community has a voice on campus. His efforts include facilitating cultural and educational workshops both at Dalhousie and in the wider community.
The third-year medical sciences student says the responsibility he feels to give back and to promote Mi’kmaq culture is something that has been ingrained in him since childhood.
“I remember sitting down with an elder one afternoon and in that moment he pushed it into me that no matter what I do with my life that at the end of the day I will always be Mi’kmaq and that I will always represent Mi’kmaq people,” said Prosper.
“I feel an obligation to represent Mi’kmaq in a good way and to bring that forward to people and I also learned that through my school and my community where I was always told to be proud of being a Mi’kmaq person.”
The humble young man says the fact that people are now listening is due, in large part, to the residential school survivors who have given him a platform.
“They went out of their to tell their stories, to dig really deep into those traumatic events — I think I owe a lot to those survivors and I am proud to continue with what they did,” said Prosper
“I try to represent our people and to reinforce that we have something to offer to the rest of Canada and to show the human side of us and to break down the barriers and stereotypes that exist.”
Prosper, who was recently named the top presenter at the 2017 Dal Lead Conference for the second consecutive year, maintains close ties to his community and is a member of the Eastern Eagle Drummers.
“The drum represents the heartbeat of our nation and of Mother Earth — singing and drumming helps keep me balanced,” said Prosper, who performed the Mi’kmaq “Treaty Song” at Dalhousie’s induction ceremony for new students.
The aspiring medical doctor plans to return home to Eskasoni someday to help make a difference both in his own community and in Cape Breton in general.