What is a self location and why is it important?

The act of self location is a refusal to accept colonialism and is the beginning step to understanding your unique role in how you came to be on this land. It requires settlers, for maybe the first time ever, to consider how they arrived here, why they are here, who they share space with and what that means for others. It is to learn about yourself then use that knowledge to inform how you move through this space and your relationships with the land, the people, and decolonization.

The UVSS is guided by the unique lived experiences of the twenty-two students that make up the Board of Directors. Our intersectional identities guide our work– consciously or unconsciously. To understand our positionality better and who we are the UVSS lead directors have all written personal self locations that will be shared below. 

UVSS Lead Director Self Locations

Michael Caryk, Interim Director of Campaigns & Community Relations

Hello, my name is Michael Caryk. I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Treaty 1 Territory—the traditional lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anisininew, Dakota Oyate, and Dene, Inuit peoples, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.


As a white settler, I acknowledge the privileges I hold living on these lands and the responsibilities that come with that. I’ve also had the opportunity to live in Ontario and British Columbia—territories with their unique histories of colonization, resistance, and ongoing Indigenous presence.


These experiences have shaped my understanding of the cultural richness of Indigenous nations and the deep impacts of colonialism— ongoing today through the continued control over Indigenous lands and the marginalization of Indigenous knowledge and languages. Growing up in Winnipeg, I witnessed firsthand how the legacy of colonialism remains present in our public spaces. For example, a major roadway was long named after Bishop Grandin, a figure associated with the residential school system. It was recently renamed Abinojii Mikanah, meaning “Children’s Way” in Anishinaabemowin, to honour the children who never returned from residential schools. This change represents a meaningful step toward acknowledging past harms and making space for truth and reconciliation.


As the UVSS Campaigns Director, I recognize the importance of approaching this work with a commitment to accountability and relationship-building. I am committed to ongoing learning and to using my role to support advocacy rooted in truth, reconciliation, and Indigenous sovereignty

Katie King, Director of Student Affairs

I am an uninvited settler from the lands of the ᖹᐟᒧᐧᐨᑯᐧ ᓴᐦᖾᐟ Niitsítpiis-stahkoii (Blackfoot), Ĩyãħé Nakón mąkóce (Stoney), Michif Piyii (Métis), Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis, Tsuut’ina, and the Blackfoot confederacy, whos traditional homes are located on what is otherwise known as Treaty 7 territory in southern Alberta. I am conscious of the privilege that I have to live on these lands, one that I have due to the Injustice and violence perpetrated towards Indigenous peoples through the treaty system, which still continues to harm Indigenous peoples to this day.
I grew up on these lands, naively unaware of the atrocities that had been committed on it for hundreds of years. I was taught an idealized version of Alberta’s history, one where the massacre and attempted erasure of Indigenous people were side-stepped or ignored. Alberta’s history did not start when settlers invaded the land; Indigenous people have lived in harmony with the land for thousands of years. I recognize that I have a part in this erasure and continue to work to be a part of the solution. Now that I am older, I know that this version of history hides the truth of the violent colonization that took place in Alberta and the rest of Canada. My connection to the land is shaped by the continued harm of Indigenous communities.
Today, I live on the unceded traditional lands of the lək̓ wəŋən (Songhees), Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ Nations. I acknowledge that I am an uninvited settler on these lands, all the same. Through my degree in history, I have continued to learn about the side of history that is not taught nearly as much as it needs to be. It is crucial to listen to and amplify the voices of Indigenous people, as their knowledge of these lands far exceeds my own. Understanding my impact on these lands as a settler is an ongoing commitment. Practicing decolonization can look different person to person, but for me it is a promise to challenge the systems that benefit from the oppression of Indigenous people both in my personal life and within the UVSS.

Lindsey Andrew, Director of Events

My name is Lindsey Andrew and I grew up on Treaty 7 territory in southern Alberta. Treaty 7 territory belongs to the Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Stoney Nakoda, and Tsuu T’ina. These five First Nations lived on that land for centuries before it was stolen by the Hudson’s Bay Company and dubbed Rupert’s Land. Following Confederation, the dominion government sought to extinguish Aboriginal land title while the five First Nations of Treaty 7 sought peaceful coexistence with settlers. Treaty 7 was created under these circumstances and exists today as both a colonial institution and as a pathway for Indigenous legal recognition. Now I work, study, and live as an uninvited guest on the unceded lands of the Lək̓ wəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) and WSÁNEĆ Peoples. It has been a privilege to learn more about the history of the Indigenous peoples of so-called Vancouver Island over the course of my degree.

As a white settler, I want to reflect on the numerous privileges that I only have because of the ongoing displacement and dispossession of Indigenous lands and peoples. My grandfather worked in government and both of my parents worked in oil and gas. Settler-colonialism and extractivism have given my family the prosperous life that we enjoy here in so-called Canada. I do not want to be naïve in understanding the many ways in which settler-colonialism as both a historical event and an on-going structure have benefited me. While I am grateful for the life that I have in this country, it is necessary to acknowledge that Canada as we know it only exists because of deep historical injustices and ongoing genocide.