Driven by Culture, Thriving with the Kodiaks

Mylynn Lewis

Onion Lake First Nation, Saskatchewan

First year, General Arts and Science, Lloydminster Comprehensive

Mylynn Lewis grew up around basketball, starting on the Onion Lake First Nation.

"When I was three, I would go around with my dad to basketball tournaments, which sparked my interest," said Lewis. "I started playing in seventh grade, but it wasn't my favourite sport, to be honest. I was more of a softball-badminton kid."

Lewis took the game more seriously in Grade 9 while on the reserve.

"I was on the reserve all of my life until 12^th grade," she said. "In my 11^th grade year, I was asked to move to Lloydminster to play with Lloydminster Comp., which I did, and finished my last year of high school basketball there."

Lewis added it's not common for high school players to leave the reserve to play at another school.

"I remember my dad telling me when he was younger he was asked to do the same thing, but he wasn't given the right opportunities. My dad probably could have played college, too, but he didn't have the right support so I decided to take what was given to me."

While she finished her high school career away from the reserve, it's never far away from her thoughts.

"My culture and family help me stay emotionally regulated on and off the court. I try my best to carry myself in a respectful manner in everything I do, because I know I am representing more than just myself out here."

Coming to Lethbridge Polytechnic turned out to be a quick decision for Lewis, who had planned on taking a year off to work and save money.

"It was an opportunity that came up very last minute, maybe two weeks before school started. I was offered a spot on the team and I applied to the school and had to find a place to stay. I knew I was far from where I was, but I had to do it. There was no way I was saying no to this."

And her decision to come to Lethbridge has turned out to be a tremendous one for Lewis.

"It's been amazing. Since coming here, I've changed my lifestyle. I am working toward sobriety, which is something I never thought I could do before. I would use alcohol to cope with things because my journey hasn't been an easy one. Especially on the reserve. It's pretty different out there. You see and experience a lot of things throughout your lifetime."

"It's been amazing. Since coming here I've changed my lifestyle. I am working toward sobriety, which is something I never thought I could do before. I would use alcohol to cope with things because my journey hasn't been an easy one. Especially on the reserve. It's pretty different out there. You see and experience a lot of things throughout your lifetime.

"You watch people that you've grown up with go down the wrong path and cope with their struggles in unhealthy ways. You watch people lose their battles to addiction, young and old. It was almost normalized in a way. I don't blame anyone though, because it's quite difficult to deal with trauma, grief, etc. in healthy ways when there are minimal resources in smaller communities. Since coming here, I've kept busy, I have supports around me that I never thought I would find. My teammates, coaches, and instructors have all been great to me. They welcomed me with open arms here."

The transition from high school to college has been difficult at times for Lewis.

"At first it was tough to just find my place. I was a little closed off because I was struggling to deal with my own feelings and being away from family. On the reserve there wasn't a lot to do so you're always around your family. It was kind of hard to be away from that."

However, she's confident she made the right choice.

"The only people I knew when I came here were Memphis (Gambler-Yellow Knee, first year, Open Studies, Leduc Composite) and coach Ken (McMurray). Playing for the Kodiaks has been more than I thought it would be. I didn't know what to expect and I've noticed my confidence going up and I've never felt so secure about myself. Coming here has definitely helped me a lot."

As a General Arts and Science student, Lewis is looking to return to Lethbridge Polytechnic next year before moving on to university at either U of L or Calgary.

"My goal is to earn a bachelor's degree and hopefully a master's degree in psychology. That's what I want for myself."