Audrey Woods

Audrey belongs to Wilps Wii Goob'l of the Lax See'l Clan of the Gitxsan Nation.  Her traditional name is Nagan.   As a mother, grandmother, auntie, and sister she takes great pride in her family.    With her husband she has raised three daughters and her grandchildren plus numerous foster children.   They began to foster children shortly after their marriage in 1972.

 

She returned to school after her children were grown up and on their own.  She attended UNBC to obtain her Language and cultural teacher certification in Gitxsanimx.  This took 5 years of working and attending classes in the evening.  Upon completion of the certification she attended UNBC in Terrace to obtain her Bachelor's degree in education.  Returning to school to obtain her Language and Cultural teaching certificate as well as her Bachelor's degree in Education is her way of proving to our Gitxsan youth that we can accomplish whatever we set out to achieve if we want it bad enough.  In September 2011 she will begin working on her Masters degree in Education. 

 

Shortly after graduating she was employed by the Northwest Community college - Terrace campus and continues to work there as the Aboriginal Cultural Knowledge Development Advisor.   Her job involves bringing the First Nations culture into the college environment and partnering with the First Nations groups within the Northwest.

 

Their lives are deeply entrenched in the Gitxsan culture and they take every opportunity to be on the land and interact with our Gitxsan Elders.  The greatest memories are all the times that she has spent with family socializing.  Audrey has a passion about the well-being of children and family.  Taking the time to communicate and support our children and families within the community of Gitanmaax has always been a priority.  She believes that being a positive role model is important. 

 

The belief in the importance of Education and the well-being of children was instilled by her parents and grandparents.  Believing in yourself and what you can do is critical to what you set as goals and the success that you achieve.  Knowing your identity and where you come from and your role in your Nation and culture is essential in order to achieve our goals and success in life.  We need to know our culture, traditions and we need to balance it with world views when we pursue our goals in life.