Tansi nitisihkason, Kelly Stanley.
Hello, my name is Kelly Stanley. I am originally from Treaty 6 Territory in Frog Lake, Alberta, Canada. I am a single mother to a beautiful six-year-old daughter, who continues to be one of my greatest motivations in both my life and my work. This page represents my portfolio contribution to the Master of Arts in Human Rights and Social Justice program at Thompson Rivers University.
The cover image for this portfolio is a self-portrait I created in HRSJ 5140-01 Art, Media, and Dissent. This piece holds deep personal meaning. The left side of my face represents an Indian Residential School child, depicted in black with surrounding dark imagery to reflect the weight of intergenerational trauma and the lasting impacts of colonial violence. The right side represents myself as a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman, with a red mark across my mouth symbolizing both silencing and resistance. In the portrait, my braid is wrapped in the colors of the Medicine Wheel. For me, this represents more than identity. It represents balance, strength, and connection. Our hair carries meaning, memory, and power. This visual piece reflects my commitment to approaching both my life and my work through Indigenous frameworks that honor the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of healing.
This piece is personal. I am a survivor of kidnapping in both my childhood and early adulthood, as well as a survivor of domestic violence. These experiences have shaped how I understand vulnerability, violence, and survival, especially in relation to Indigenous women and girls. They are also part of the reason why I speak strongly about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), and why my academic work continues to center healing, justice, and accountability.
Prior to entering this program, I worked in my home community within Child Prevention Services and family court settings, supporting efforts to keep Indigenous children connected to their families and communities. In this role, I assisted clients by providing transportation to and from court, attending proceedings, and offering support where possible. Through this work, I found myself wanting to do more, speak more, understand more, and advocate more effectively for the individuals and families I worked with. At the same time, I felt limited by the lack of authority or credentials within these systems.
This experience led me to pursue graduate studies. What initially drew me to this program was the concept of justice. I began asking myself: What are our human rights, and how do we actively work toward social justice in real ways? After witnessing firsthand the realities of the court system, I became increasingly aware of the systemic barriers faced by Indigenous families and individuals. These experiences were immediate, complex, and deeply frustrating.
Through this program, I have developed a more critical understanding of how systems of law, policy, and governance shape lived realities. I have also come to see more clearly how these systems can both uphold and fail communities, especially when they do not meaningfully account for Indigenous experiences, knowledge systems, and histories. My academic work has increasingly focused on trauma. How it is experienced, how it is embedded in the body, and how it connects to broader systems of colonial violence. I have also explored healing through Indigenous frameworks, including the Medicine Wheel, and approaches that center balance, restoration, and relational accountability. This work is not separate from who I am, as it is deeply connected to my lived experiences, community, and responsibilities as a mother.
This program has also impacted me in ways I did not expect. It has helped me heal in many ways, find my voice, and grow both academically and personally. I am deeply grateful that I chose this path. While I entered this program to gain knowledge and pursue justice, I did not anticipate the level of personal transformation that would come with it. Upon completion of this program, I intend to apply to law school. This MA has provided me with a foundation I did not previously have, and it has strengthened both my confidence and my direction moving forward.
This program has been healing for me in so many ways. More than anything, it has reinforced my commitment to pursuing justice in a way that is grounded, informed, and accountable to the communities I come from and serve. Throughout this portfolio, these experiences and reflections are discussed in greater depth.