She learned family history young, while listening to the teachings of her grandmother, Louise Dick. Those early years of learning helped shape the future of Sherry Mattice, who went on a long path to higher education.
Dr. Sherry Mattice, a resident of Nanaimo, had to find creative options to upgrade her education. She earned her doctorate degree at the Business Administration in Leadership Program through Walden University out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. She took her program via online studies.
“There was one (program) in Alberta, but it had a long wait list,” said Mattice.
But it was that long wait list that led her to a non-Canadian university. There was no waitlist at Walden, so Mattice was approved for funding through the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council’s post secondary program to take her studies there.
Previously, Mattice earned a master’s degree in administration and another master’s of science in international business management.
She estimates that it took her six or seven years to complete her doctorate program as she needed to take some time off during her studies.
Mattice started her career in the healthcare industry as a care aide for seven years. But the work is physically demanding, and she says not a lot of money in it. So, she set her sights on advanced education. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo and followed that with a master’s degree in business administration.
A BBA (Bachelor of Business Administration) is an undergraduate degree providing a broad foundation in business principles, while an MBA (Master of Business Administration) is a graduate-level degree focused on advanced business management and leadership skills.
Mattice said that she first began her post secondary studies around 1997, but motivation escaped her. Struggling with her grades, she would sometimes fail, and sometimes the party lifestyle got in the way. But each time she went back to her studies she did so more prepared.
“If I struggled, I went and got a tutor,” she shared.
And Mattice worked hard to get through her program.
“Sometimes you just need to pass. We’re not all perfect. Attend class and hand in your homework,” she advised.
Mattice worked as an academic advisor at VIU. As a student advisor, she learned that Indigenous learners long for something they don’t have.
“They said they never see people like us in front of the classroom,” said Mattice. “They want to see us teaching.”
She believes that hard work and determination are what it takes to succeed at university-level studies.
“You don’t know what you can do until you’re there, but you sure learn fast,” said Mattice of her time in university.
Her academic struggles showed in her grades as she went from a 2.0 GPA (grade point average) to a 3.79 GPA. In Canada, a 2.0 GPA is a C average and is considered fair, while a 4.0 GPA is considered excellent, straight A’s.
There are mentors and tutors available to help, said Mattice.
“You just have to be present and show up,” she advised.
Mattice was teaching Indigenous Studies at VIU. She has accepted a job at UVic in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and, for the time, plans to commute to Victoria for work.
The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations grandmother is proud to announce that she is the first Indigenous teaching professor at the Gustavson School of Business.
The framework for her thesis, she says, is cultivating safe spaces in the classroom. This was important to Mattice because of what her mother endured. An Alberni Indian Residential School survivor, Mabel Cathers (nee: George) fought hard to give her children the best life she could. And she continued to support Mattice on her educational journey.
Mattice’s adult daughter is a university graduate working at the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council. Mattice has two teenage children living with her in Nanaimo and a young grandson.
