Dean for a Day

Selamawit Ghebrehiwot
Contributor
Soft-spoken, wearing a pale button-up and a sweet smile, Hannah Askew laughs about her decision to apply to the Dean for a Day essay contest.
“I was on the on-call list to answer questions that day,” she wryly noted. In fact, when prof. Richard Haigh told students in his “State & Citizen” course about the contest – which allows the winner to trade places with Osgoode Hall Law School dean Lorne Sossin for a day –  her interest was piqued. His announcement led to her compelling submission on furthering First Nations recruitment and legal representation in law schools.

Askew, who currently attends Osgoode Hall Law School and holds two Masters from McGill University and the University of Toronto, is an accomplished student and advocate who has strong ties to the First Nations community.
Askew was born in the Okanagan region in British Columbia, and returned there after she netted her degrees in Ontario. She was hired as an instructor at the Native Education College. “It was quite a transformative experience for me. I loved the students, and I felt like I was learning so much from them,” says Askew.
She was placed on a remote reserve for seven weeks, but enjoyed it so much she returned for three years, teaching at the college’s main campus in Vancouver. Askew’s interest in law was furthered by her experiences at the college. “Most of the teachers in the school were Aboriginals with law degrees, so I got a chance to learn a lot from them about traditional Aboriginal law,” she notes.
This early education fueled Askew’s interest in law, both Aboriginal and western. “It’s a really exciting area to be in because there’s a growing recognition of Aboriginal rights.”
Even after leaving the Native Education College, Askew’s passion for First Nations law and issues concerning policy persisted. Her experiences spurred her to make positive changes in the legal community regarding First Nations representation. Askew’s winning essay, “Making Space for Aboriginal Contributions to the Legal Profession,” addressed the lack of First Nations representation in law schools while progressively suggesting ways to engage and recruit more Aboriginal students.
“In many of the classes there are not a lot of First Nations content, so I feel like there could be more,” Askew says of Osgoode’s law curriculum. She also underlines the importance of integrating Aboriginal law into our current legal system.
Askew outlined concrete plans to target First Nations people. “Going to their communities and telling them that they’re wanted and welcomed would go a long way towards recruitment,” says Askew. “A lot of them have had negative experiences in terms of discrimination in their lives, so they definitely don’t take for granted that they’re wanted in a particular place […] To say that they’re wanted and valued by a school would make a big difference.”
Openly reaching out and focusing on Aboriginal communities and students, Askew argues, is the key to bridging the gap. “I think there’s a consensus among law schools that it’s really important to have more First Nations students and a stronger presence in the legal community. First
Nations people are currently underrepresented in our legal community, and the law society, and schools are really aware of that.”
Askew’s arguments landed her the 2011 Dean for a Day prize, which she used to further her education of Aboriginal issues.
When asked about future plans, Askew smiled. She wishes to remain focused on Aboriginal land claims issues and practice law, but her heart still lies with teaching. “I love teaching, I love the dynamic that you get with students, and I find it pretty rewarding. I always learn from it, so I’m hoping that I could combine it. It would be the ideal.”
Most of all, Askew remains committed to the community that led to her win. “I hope to remain tapped into the First Nations community. I enjoyed the humour and warmth of the communities that I’ve worked for, and I really want to stay a part of that.”