Emily Wang

Born and raised on Treaty 6 territory, Emily is a second-generation Chinese Canadian who grew up loving both ice-fishing and Sun Wukong (The Monkey King) cartoons.

Emily now lives on  lək̓ʷəŋən and WSÁNEĆ territory but calls ‘cowtown’ (Treaty 7) home, having pursued an accounting degree at the University of Calgary. Upon realizing that ‘cooking the books’ was not for her, she turned towards the University of Victoria’s joint JID program (in common law and Indigenous legal orders). With her longstanding interest in Indigenous rights and legal policy, Emily is happy to say that the JID program is a great fit and is now in her third year. Outside of school, you can find Emily walking various neighborhood dogs, doing ocean dips, painting, or starting yet another new hobby.

Though Emily leans towards community-based work, she also has experience in research positions. With the UCalgary Indigenous Research Lab, she helped author a paper on best practices in Indigenous Studies, which was published in the American Indian Scientific and Engineering Journal. Emily has also co-written a business case for the UCalgary Accounting Department on young Indigenous beaders who sell their work on Instagram.

Most of all, Emily enjoys good food and making art. Not only does she love to eat, but she loves to see how food can strengthen community connections and cultural ties. Over the past five years, Emily has helped run a non-profit called Wiisinin, which means “to eat” in Anishinaabemowin. Wiisinin hosts cooking workshops for Indigenous youth and families. The organization focuses on traditional ingredients/recipes and participants receive grocery gift cards to ensure access. Emily’s passion for art and food sustains her education and beyond. Her initial involvement with IYR was as a youth participant, so Emily is excited to contribute as a Board member and looks forward to seeing where this learning takes her.