The Indigenous Recruitment & Admissions team is an unofficial sub-team based out of both Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, and is made up of Amber Lesage, Chloe Erlendson, and Kristen Davis from Student Recruitment & Advising, and Jackson Traplin from Undergraduate Admissions. In short, we are the staff members in SRA and Admissions who work closely with Indigenous applicants to undergraduate programs at UBC.

Chloe Erlendson (she/her/hers)
Red River Métis
Recruiter Advisor, Indigenous Students 


I am Red River Métis from Treaty 1 and 2 territories in rural Manitoba. I grew up in a town so small that calling it a town is a bit of a stretch (seriously, look up Eddystone, MB on Google Maps for a laugh). I eventually made it to UBC’s Vancouver campus where I completed a BA degree in First Nations and Indigenous Studies with a minor in English Literature in 2015. I began working in SRA in 2016 as an Associate Recruiter Advisor, Indigenous Students to launch the Indigenous Campus Tours program. In 2018, I joined SSA as an Enrolment Services Advisor and lead of the Indigenous Student Support team. I then did a short secondment with CTLT’s Indigenous Initiatives team as an Educational Consultant in 2020, and eventually rejoined the SRA team in my current role in September 2020.

Recruitment always had a hold on me, and I am so thrilled to be back in a role where I get to work in community and guide Indigenous learners on their pathways to post-secondary. Along with my teammates, I work to recruit Indigenous students from across the country, provide application assistance for both the admissions application and various awards, work closely with Jackson and other colleagues in Admissions throughout the cycle, host a number of events in the Fall and Spring, and provide what we call “pathways advising” to provide alternate options for any students who are not admissible to their chosen programs at UBC that year. I am passionate about increasing access to quality education for Indigenous learners, and love that I get to do this work at UBC.

Ask me about: sourdough baking, beadwork, or my Harry Potter obsession. 


 Kristen Davis (she/her/hers)
Gitxsan and Nisga’a
Community Liaison Manager, Indigenous Students
I am from the Gitxsan Nation on my mother’s side and the Nisga’a Nation on my father’s side. I am a mother of two boys, ages 6 and 15. I grew up in my father’s home community of Gitlakt’aamiks and Terrace, BC (on Tsimshian Territory), and moved to the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations to attend Langara College in my early 20s. I transferred to UBC and completed my BSc. degree in Biology in 2014. Since then, I spent four years at First Nations Health Authority, and a couple of years working for environmental consulting firms, before making my way back to UBC in September 2020. I am also 8 months away from my MSc. degree in Environmental Practice.

After navigating my educational journey on my own as a first-generation university student, I always knew I would somehow work for an organization that would be dedicated to helping Indigenous youth navigate their way through the intimidating world of post-secondary. I work with this amazing team to recruit and advise prospective Indigenous students across the country; however, my main target audience lies here in the lower mainland and the rest of BC. I also manage the Indigenous Vancouver campus tour program, which includes getting to work with two Indigenous Student Ambassadors, Dom and Ceci. Another part of my day-to-day involves working closely with the Indigenous students and staff at Langara College who are a part of the UBC-Langara Indigenous Transfer Partnership program, a program which offers Indigenous students a smooth transfer to UBCV. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this team who are dedicated to increasing access to Indigenous learners at UBC.

Ask me about: softball, ecology, sustainability/conservation, or climate change (nerd alert)!
 

Jackson Traplin
Associate Admissions Advisor, Indigenous Applicants

I am Cow Creek on my dad’s side and English on both my parents’ sides. I was born in a small town in the Alberta Rockies, and I grew up in the North Okanagan. I first joined UBC Okanagan as a transfer student with a diploma in Indigenous studies in 2016, and graduated from UBC-O with my undergraduate degree in Indigenous studies in 2021. During my time as a student at UBC-O, I entered the Co-op program where I was employed as an intern for First Nations Health Authority as well as a research assistant on a province-wide UBC project to explore Indigenous students’ experiences of access, mobility, and persistence in post-secondary education in BC. More recently, I had worked as a Program Analyst to review UBC’s work-integrated (experiential) learning programs such as Work Study/Work Learn, Co-op, and the various research opportunities that UBC offers students. This work culminated in a report that details recommendations to aid future Indigenous students to participate fully in these programs.

I currently work as an Associate Admissions Advisor to Indigenous applicants. In this role, I engage with various UBC Enrolment Services and Admissions colleagues, high school counsellors and, of course, our Indigenous applicants to ensure that these applicants are treated equitably throughout the admissions process. While sending out offers of admission to these applicants is certainly a highlight of my work, I am all smiles when I receive the occasional email from an applicant thanking me for assisting them with their application.

Ask me about: my love of reggae music, my Indigenous library collection, or my ugly motorcycle (which I find beautiful)!


Amber Lesage (she/her/hers)
Anishinaabe 
Recruiter Advisor, Indigenous Students 

I am an Anishinaabe from Garden River First Nation which is in the Great Lakes region of Ontario. I come from a large family, most of whom are still living in Garden River and enjoy visiting as often as I can. I went to college and university in Ontario before moving out west.  

I’ve been living and working on syilx lands within Student Recruitment and Advising since August 2020, and work primarily with prospective Indigenous students. It’s been great connecting with prospective students on a regular basis, and engaging with community. We work in close collaboration with the amazing team in admissions in order to provide the highest level of support for Indigenous students throughout the application process. Being based on the Okanagan Campus, I also have the opportunity to work closely with our friends at Indigenous Programs and Services on initiatives to engage with prospective Indigenous students interested in what this campus has to offer. It’s been rewarding helping students find the right path for them and being a small part of their educational journey.  

Prior to working for UBC, I was a Team Manager with our National Women’s Team Programs at Hockey Canada, where I managed and organized all of the off-ice logistics and administration for our National Women’s Under-18 Program and then with our National Women’s Senior Program. I lived as an uninvited guest on Treaty 7 territory in Calgary for over 13 years.  

Ask me about: women’s hockey, or anything else sports related.