Ashley MacLellan (English and professional communication)
English and Professional Communications student Ashley Maclellan began her professional career after connecting with Civilian Human Resources at the Department of National Defence during the Mock Interview Clinic and Career Fair for Indigenous Students.
After graduating in 2019, Ashley Maclellan built a career working with Indigenous students and young professionals in Canada, everywhere from lək̓ʷəŋən and Tk’emlups territory to Gitlaxt'aamix in Nisga’a territory.
The impact of co-op
"My co-op placement launched a professional career that I didn't know was possible," Ashley says. After a co-op work term with the Department of Defence, she went on to continue her work with the organization, implementing the guidance of Elders in Residence to create the Indigenous Student Recruitment Initiative at Defence.
During her co-op work term, Ashley developed human resources expertise that continues to influence her work with Indigenous students and professionals to this day, in recruitment and resume coaching. Outside work, as a Métis and Dene woman from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Ashley formed a student network with her fellow Indigenous students, which helped her build her career after graduation.
"I found a mentor in my manager at that role, who I still connect with to this day to share ideas about our unique space of Indigenous hiring and retention," she says.
Paying it forward
Today, Ashley lives and works in Yellowknife, as Gender and Diversity Officer with the Government of Northwest Territories, where she continues her advocacy on behalf of rural and underrepresented students and young professionals.
"The co-op experience was unforgettable," Ashley says, "and all because I responded to an email one day on a whim."