Natasha

“The world screamed past me. I lived amongst the Ewok shadows; I groaned misery and shifted as they did. I longed to be part of something again, to be known and accepted, to hear my name. No one ever said my name anymore. I never told anyone who I was for fear of being found out. For what? I didn't know. I'd forgotten years ago.”
― Jesse Thistle, From the Ashes: My Story of Being Indigenous, Homeless, and Finding My Way

“It lit me up to see my name, "Jesse Thistle," alongside "University of Ottawa." I'd done something significant. I'd actually achieved something in my life. I didn't have a driver's license, ID, a proper high school education, a health card, nothing—but there was this completion certificate that had "university" with my name under it!”
― Jesse Thistle, From the Ashes: My Story of Being Indigenous, Homeless, and Finding My Way