Nuka Olsen-Hakongak

From the airport to law school, Nuka Olsen-Hakongak has been on a journey. Once a flight attendant, she’s making her way to a new destination: a career in law. Her first name means younger sibling or younger sister in Inuinnaqtun/Inuktitut. She was born in Yellowknife, raised in Cambridge Bay and has lived in Iqaluit for five years now. She moved there for the Nunavut law program after completing the Social Services Worker Program. In between, she did customer service, ramp and cargo at First Air where she first started as a summer student, then moved to the Department of Education for the Government of Nunavut. Olsen-Hakongak upgraded her education in Edmonton, then worked as a flight attendant with Canadian North.  She traveled between Edmonton and Cambridge Bay and told herself, "I want to work at the airline for maybe five years, experience this lifestyle and this career, and then get serious about thinking about what I want to do and going back to school." When it comes to Inuit youth considering leaving home for work or school, she offers her words of wisdom, “Your home will always be there. My dad always told me, ‘your home will always be here. Cambridge Bay is not going anywhere.’ It's good to venture off and experience life, either in another community or a city or in a bigger city, and see what fits your lifestyle and what you enjoy.” She recommends giving it your best shot because you can always come home. Olsen-Hakongak always thought if she left she wouldn’t return but she did. After five years in Iqaluit, it feels like home, too, and she’s comfortable in the North.