“My journey to get to where I am right now has been very nonlinear,” reflects Cameron Bishop. They live in Kingston, Ontario and go to Queen's University where they are working towards a Master of Applied Science in Computer Engineering and AI. A member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, their family has ties to the Red River settlement. Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, their family moved to Ontario when he was 16.

Deciding what they wanted to study was a challenge for Bishop. They thought they wanted to pursue medical school because of their interest in neuroscience but their interest in problem solving and working with their hands meant that engineering made a lot of sense for them. They picked Queens because of their general first year Engineering program that leaves things more open which was attractive given they hadn’t settled on a specific direction yet. The flexibility left space for them to explore and decide. 

The path they ultimately chose was computer engineering, something that interests them even if they don’t get to work with their hands as much. Bishop was invited to an accelerated Masters program which ended up being the best fit for them, though they had some concerns and reservations. 

Working on their master’s degree on a project basis, they are building off the contribution of others. The project they are working on works with Inuktitut and a dialect of Cree and AI technologies to see if AI can translate the languages into English. The work is interesting and they find the project is cool and full of potential, but they have some concerns about the field of AI from an ethical standpoint. The field is evolving rapidly and like many other researchers, Bishop finds it hard to keep up with the latest news and research that comes in as a constant stream of information. They also don’t speak Inuktitut or Cree himself. 

Leading up to his university experience, Bishop had two very different high school experiences. In Calgary, they were able to attend a charter school for gifted students where they had an exceptional experience that honoured their neurodiversity and academic talents. When they moved to Ontario, their educational options were a lot more lackluster. They went from a very diverse school to a much more homogenous learning environment and they experienced a great deal of culture shock in the process. The experience was unsatisfying but they graduated in the end. 

Moving away from where they considered home was hard in high school but it made things a bit easier in university. Bishop benefited from the Indigenous support networks at the university. Queens has a more general STEM Indigenous academics program and an Indigenous futures in Engineering program alongside their Indigenous student centre which made finding community and support a lot easier for them. Their advice for students moving away from their home communities to go to school is “There are support networks. You’ve just got to find the right people and stick with them.”

As much as their overall journey has been non-linear, so has their master’s research. Working through a number of projects before finally landing on this one, Bishop has had some ethical issues with the project around the need for it to support community and be community driven and to work with data in a way that was aligned with their values. Overcoming those internal barriers, they found a more ethically-aligned methodology that allowed them to move forward confidently.

If they could give advice to their younger self it would be, “It's important to be able to be resilient, and adaptable, but at the same time know what works for you and know what doesn't, and be able to not be stuck in one place for too long, if it doesn't work with you.” They have learned a lot of life lessons from the path they've taken and have found every time things haven’t worked out has been an opportunity to learn. 

The other message they would give their younger self would be, “make sure you have good support.” Their Master’s supervisors have been very supportive and understanding on their journey. Bishop describes them as guiding lights during a difficult time and very patient given how challenging their degree program has been. 

To keep their mental health in check has been a real challenge for Bishop given how isolating they have found academia to be. They have found they have to put in the effort to socialize and to separate their school from their life since they don’t have dedicated office space. Making sure they're chatting and interacting with people as well as getting outside and eating well has been important for their wellness. Living near Lake Ontario and Breakwater Park and enjoying lakefront views has been helpful. “Being able to access nature, I find, it's very relaxing for me,” they affirm.

When it comes to inspiration, Bishop looks to people in their life like Melanie who works in the Indigenous STEM program on campus and who has an extensive network. They also had a chance to compete in NASA's First Nations Launch competition with the Queen's AISES Rocket Team, which was led by Maranda Cherry, a fellow Métis student from BC, who is now studying aerospace engineering at MIT. Otherwise, Bishop draws inspiration from everything and everyone around them.  

"Passion is just such an important thing so try to cultivate and maintain that passion because it's something that really can take you far."

To inspire Indigenous youth, Bishop says, “Just to be true to yourself and to your values. It's going to be really difficult and it's going to be a struggle if your work isn't aligned with your ideals and who you are.. Just do what interests you. Stay excited, stay curious. Passion is just such an important thing so try to cultivate and maintain that passion because it's something that really can take you far.”

Their journey to get to where they are has been very non-linear but Cameron Bishop is on their way. Exploring computer engineering and artificial intelligence, they are making intelligent choices for themself, following their passions and their values in their work. Inspired by everything around them, they arestaying curious and looking for their next chance to learn and grow.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.