SUNTEP Prince Albert graduate wins college's top award

Erika Warkentine is graduating from the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program – Prince Albert (SUNTEP PA), delivered in partnership with the Gabriel Dumont Institute. 

Originally from Kinistino and Melfort, Erika graduated from Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate. After an 11-year pause from formal education, she found her calling in the teaching profession and was accepted into SUNTEP PA.

In addition to her academic success, Erika led Culture Camps at local schools in Prince Albert, served on the SRC’s Culture Committee to plan cultural and professional development opportunities, and taught her SUNTEP PA peers about Ribbon Skirts and how to make them. The community and relationships developed helped her throughout her degree and as she transitions into her teaching career.

One of Erika’s highlights during her extended practicum was the field trip with Grade 10 and 12 students to the Batoche National Historical Site. The trip included a visit to se the buffalo that have been reintroduced to the land. She valued the students’ reflections during sharing circles following the experience.

Erika takes pride in building meaningful relationships with students, fellow teachers, families, administrators and others involved in the education journey. She saw the impact of these relationships when students approached her for guidance, in the letters she received at the end of her practicum, and through collaboration with other teachers. The relationships with staff and students, especially those she interacted with during the Beading Club she started at her school, shaped her identity as a teacher.

Outside of the classroom, Erika expresses her creativity through the arts. She is passionate about beading and ribbon skirt making, which I got to see first-hand at her SUNTEP PA graduation ceremony when she was wearing an outfit featuring her own design pattern. She is committed to preserving Métis traditional practices. Erika also loves painting, drawing and reading, both for pleasure and to grow her knowledge.

In 2023, Erika was awarded a USask Indigenous Student Achievement Award in Leadership and was awarded the Order of Gabriel Dumont Bronze Medal this past year.

Erika will be teaching in the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division for the 2025-2026 school year.