#SAITfaces: Dawson Thomas
SAIT is leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, community builders, originals.
Meet our #SAITfacesMeet Dawson Thomas — SAIT Student Pride Leader, president of the Saitsa Pride Club, vice chair of the Saitsa Board of Directors, first-year Hospitality Management student and #SAITfaces feature face.
In case his titles weren’t a giveaway, Dawson is a champion of inclusion #hereatSAIT — something he set out to become both to make the best of a challenging year due to COVID-19, and to support fellow LGBTQ2+ students.
“As a two-spirited Indigenous person, I always sort of struggled with my identity and culture. I was unsure if I was going against my family’s beliefs, but came to learn LGBTQ2+ members of our community are highly celebrated.”
“Now, I want to give a voice to other LGBTQ2+ students and do my part to pay tribute to what makes each of us unique. I also hope to give the Indigenous LGBTQ2+ population more representation.”
Dawson sees SAIT’s five-year Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy as an opportunity for everyone at SAIT to reflect and forge a better future together.
“There is always room for us to be more diverse, more daring, more bold and more inclusive. We have a responsibility to look at our mistakes, own up to them, educate ourselves and seek to improve.”
“It’s important to know my school is putting our students’ lifestyles first and that I’m part of a school that accepts and endorses the LGBTQ2+ community.”
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.