Saige Hoogveld

Saige is a Métis woman with ancestry from the Red River settlement in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Born and raised in Syilx territory, known today as Kelowna, BC, Saige now resides in the homelands of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, known today as Victoria, BC. Saige currently works for the BC Public Service, focusing on Indigenous economic initiatives with the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation.

Saige brings work and volunteer experience in customer service, education, business development, events management, human resources, strategic planning and public policy. In 2021, Saige graduated from Okanagan College with an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration dual specialized in Management and Human Resources. Driven by her work as a student researcher, Saige was nominated and selected as Okanagan College’s first-ever recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Inclusion, Democracy, and Reconciliation, an award to recognize students who excel in their studies and contribute to the life of their institution or community. Her Honours thesis researched and analyzed Indigenous student engagement in public post-secondary institutions. Post-graduation, Saige was selected as one of 25 Indigenous youth to join the BC Government’s prestigious Indigenous Youth Internship Program (IYIP). IYIP is a one-year program consisting of two placements, one with the BC Government and one with an Indigenous Nation or organization. IYIP exists in the spirit of reconciliation and encourages Indigenous youth to take up space in colonial places.

As an Indigenous youth herself, Saige is driven to see reconciliation in her lifetime. She is passionate about creating constructive change and is eager to leverage her passion and knowledge to help create new opportunities for the next seven generations of Indigenous youth.