Keely Shay studied at Karihwanoron, an immersion school where teaching is done exclusively in Kanien'kéha (Mohawk language). "It was a family environment; there were maybe fifty students total at the time," she recalls. "Obviously we were taught math and reading and writing, but the main focus was on teaching us our culture, our language, and connecting back to our Mother Earth."
"I am an only child, but I come from a big family. I have twenty first cousins, four aunties, three uncles, and my grandparents, but my grandfather is no longer with us. My uncles and grandfather worked as ironworkers in New York City."
Keely Shay Tekawisahá:wi, Student, Carpentry Experiences and Learning Keely Shay attended Karihwanoron, an elementary immersion school where teachings are done in Kanien'kéha (Mohawk language), before starting high school at Kahnawake Survival School (KSS). After elementary school, Keely Shay went to Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) for high school but left when she was 15. "I had a hard head. I kept saying, 'No, I don't need to do this.' I thought I would finish my education in adult ed and from there go on to do the carpentry program. But things didn't turn out that way." Her mother was displeased with her decision and told her that if she was not going to school, she had to help pay the bills. Keely Shay then worked as a babysitter. "When I finally enrolled in adult ed, I got my GED high school equivalency. I even ended up finishing before my peers in grade 11," she says proudly.
"At the time, I always had kids with me, my cousins' kids, my friends' kids. I had my own little daycare, and I was making good money for a 17-year-old. As time went on, my mom said to me, 'You are good with kids, you are always surrounded by kids….' Champlain Regional College in Saint-Lambert offered an intensive program in Early Childhood Education in our community, so I decided to enroll in this college program."
Back to Elementary School After leaving high school before graduation, she opened her own daycare, completed the Early Childhood Education program, and even pursued a bachelor's degree in Education within Kahnawake, in partnership with McGill University. At 19, newly graduated, Keely Shay began teaching the youth in her community. For four years, she worked as a homeroom teacher while pursuing a bachelor's degree in Education from Kahnawake through a partnership with McGill University. "At the community's school, we taught the kids everything they need to know in Kanien'kéha." But COVID-19 changed a lot of things. "I couldn't coach basketball anymore because all sports were suspended.
“I started thinking about my future. I always intended to do the carpentry program, but the girls I was coaching in basketball were sad to see me leave, so I stayed an extra year. But at some point, I told myself it was time to do what I have always wanted to do."
Consult other videos related to the trade and training under the Useful links and videos tab on the Carpentry program page.
A Passion is Born Following the plan she set out for herself since childhood, she finally enrolled at the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre (CVCEC) for a DVS in Carpentry. Ever since she was a child, Keely Shay has wanted to build things. This interest was born in a field of blue rushes behind her house. "With the kids from my neighborhood, we would build a maze and we wanted to make a club. My mom had a shed and I always pictured I could build on it.
"There was a hammer and nails lying around. I didn't know what I was doing, but I would hammer boards into a 4 x 4, although at the time I didn't know what it was called. I made a ladder to peek into the house and I always thought about how I would change things in different houses. At 14, I learned about trade schools and I said to myself: I want to do carpentry."
Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre With the financial support of the Tewatohnhi'saktha economic development agency and the band council, she started her training while studying outside Kahnawake for the first time. In September 2021, the young woman finally enrolled at the Chateauguay Valley Career Education Centre (CVCEC). The Tewatohnhi'saktha economic development agency and the band council provided financial support. She was 23 at the time but had never attended school outside her community. "It was a bit of a culture shock when I arrived at the centre because I've always been in Kahnawake, but I am a social butterfly, so the transition was easy. The teachers are wonderful. They want us to succeed, they want us to have the full experience, and they pass down all of their knowledge so that everyone can reach their full potential."
"Why do women hesitate to choose a male-dominated trade? We are all people, I believe, and if people can make things, women can build things, we just have different tools."
Keely Shay Tekawisahá:wi Paul, Student, Carpentry What About the Future? Keely Shay wants to join the construction industry. A woman in a male-dominated trade? Racism? Keely Shay is ready to tackle these obstacles and change mentalities. The time has come to learn the carpentry trade. When she graduates from her 1,350-hour program, Keely Shay wants to work in the construction industry and work for a union. She also plans to finish building her cabin in the Laurentides so she can spend good times there with her dogs, Ally and BusterBazoo. She plans to work out west before coming back home. As a woman and Mohawk, we asked her if she was worried about facing discrimination in the construction industry. "There is always racism. Racism is alive and well to this day. I don't understand it and don't put up with it; I am ready to defend myself. Fortunately, school is a safe space. I like hard work and working for what I want," she concludes with aplomb.