Penelist juggles teaching career with political life and entrepreneurship

Kathleen Doxtator is certainly one busy individual.

For starters, Doxtator, a member of the Oneida Nation of the Thames in southwestern Ontario, is a teacher on special assignment with the Thames Valley District School Board.

She travels to various schools within the board and offers Indigenous-themed classes.

“It all depends on the needs of the school,” Doxtator said, adding her school visits can range anywhere from a single day to several days in a row at the same school.

For schools that are in her board and that do have one, Doxtator also works alongside Indigenous associations.

“But I’m still involved in youth politics at the provincial and national levels,” she said.

Doxtator’s current roles include being on the education committee for the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, serving on the Ontario First Nations Youth Peoples Council and the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council.

Doxtator also recently found out about another plum gig. She’s one of six individuals from across Canada that have been selected to serve on the National Youth Panel for this year’s Cando Conference.

By Sam Laskaris Cando Contributor

“There’s like a handful, probably five or six schools, that have an Indigenous association,” she said. “I think there’s more that are up and coming and starting to be developed.”

For Doxtator, the 2022-23 academic year marked her first one in her current role.

But prior to that she was a teacher at Saunders Secondary School in London, Ont. Her responsibilities included being an Oneida language teacher and also developing Indigenous-focused programs to support Indigenous students.

Besides her teaching responsibilities, Doxtator, who is 30, also found the time to serve a total of six years as a council member for her First Nation. She served three terms, each one lasting two years, from 2016 to 2022.

Doxtator opted not to seek another term during last year’s elections.

The conference, which will be held on June 26-29, will be held in Membertou, N.S.

Those that were picked to be on the youth panel were selected based on their strengths, initiatives, accomplishments, entrepreneurial spirit, and participation within their communities.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to it,” Doxtator said of her participation on the panel. “I was a lastminute application and I’m thankful they’ve allowed me to share my story.”

Those who are Indigenous and between the ages of 18-30 were eligible to apply to be on the Cando youth panel.

Besides her aforementioned work and experience with various political organizations, Doxtator, who graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Science and Education, with a major in Chemistry, from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., also operates her own business.

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