Julienne Chipesia has learned a lot over the past five years, but one thing stands out to her.

"Persistence is key," she said. "I know a lot of people say that, but it actually is true. There were a lot of long nights, I can remember staying up until sometimes 4 a.m. to just to complete assignments for the next day, and I would have class at 9 a.m.

"But that's something that I do enjoy. I know once I put the work into it, I understand the concept and I can explain it."

She should know. The Gwichya Gwich'in — Beaver Cree woman, originally from Inuvik, has completed her Masters of Law degree at the University of Law in Manchester, England. This makes her the third Gwich'in law graduate in modern history and the first Gwichya Gwich'in to hold the honour. Her specialty is in company law.

This follows her completion of a Bachelor of Law degree at the University of Bristol, which she had been plugging at since she finished high school in 2019. She is now finishing her second graduate degree, the Bar Practice Training Course, to enable her to begin the process of working in the field as a barrister in the United Kingdom. Even then, she noted it could be another year and change before she is able to work independently.

Working in law has been a longtime dream for Chipesia, who said it has been on her bucket list since she was at least 12 years old.

"I think it mostly stemmed from the fact I was always with my mother (Wanda McDonald) in her meetings," she said. "I grew up around that kind of work environment and that assisted me in wanting to know more about the law and learn about the procedure.

"So that shaped my formation and added to my passion to pursue it."

Transitioning from Inuvik to urban England was certainly a culture shock — both culinary and socially. Chipesia said the biggest challenge was missing home and getting used to her new world.

However, she added she benefited from three years of private schooling in B.C., which prepped her for life away from home.

"Obviously the distance being away from Canada, the first few years were a difficult transition," she said. "Not just the food, but the learning style is different compared to Canada. So writing essays, making sure I wrote in the way I needed to write to achieve the marks I wanted.

"Going directly from high school into a law program is a huge shift. So I would say if you prefer to be home, then stay in Canada. But if you're a bit more ambitious, I would say going to the U.K. and going directly into law school is exciting, especially if you know this is what you want to be doing. It's going to be a catered experience directly for you. It's a more tailored experience."

She encouraged fellow ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøers seeking to pursue higher education to establish a foundation by getting involved in an extracurricular activity — be that a sport, school play or debate team.

Doing so will help develop the confidence and self-discipline needed to complete a graduate degree, she explained.

While she's planning to focus on her work for the next little while, Chipesia said she has more ambitions down the line.

In particular, she has her eye on a judiciary seat — possibly even with the United Nations.

"I have been thinking of sitting as a judge here for a bit before I return back (to Canada)," she said. "If I do return back, I would like to consider sitting as a judge on the United Nations.

"So yeah, I'm still quite ambitious in what I would like to achieve."

But for now, she said she wants to get to work and make a name for herself.

Chipesia expressed her thanks to her supporters, family and her bands for helping her get this far.

"I would like to say a huge thank you to Blueberry River First Nations," she said. "They sponsored my whole education. That's from my dad's side — I am part Beaver Cree as well as part Gwichya Gwich'in. I think it's great to bring those to together, but I had huge support from Blueberry River First Nations so I would like to say a big thank you out to them for everything they've done for me."