Connection to the land fuels Métis student’s passion for architecture

Jory Thomas didn’t always picture herself studying architecture at the University of Manitoba (UM). 

“I actually wanted to do law first,” she says. 

“And then I took some faculty of arts classes, and I just felt like I wasn’t using my creative abilities to the best I could.” 

That educational detour led to where she feels she can stay connected to her Indigenous identity and values—the faculty of architecture. 

The faculty, which is actively advancing Reconciliation and promoting Indigenous knowledge, curriculum and design principles (such as the Seven Sacred Teachings), immediately felt like home.

“I switched over because of the connection to the land,” she adds. “I fell in love with the aspects of landscape and urbanism.”

Now, Thomas is designing spaces with Indigenous belonging in mind. 

“As a Métis person, it felt deeply relevant to my own story and my family’s story—how we connect to culture,” says Thomas.

“With the rising population of Indigenous people in cities, I want to create spaces that better reflect and support them.”

Creating Indigenous spaces

Thomas will graduate with a Bachelor of Environmental Design this spring and plans to pursue a career in city planning, drawing on her experience as an urban Indigenous person. 

More than half the record 3,292 Indigenous students enrolled at UM in 2025 identified as Métis. She sees opportunities to design buildings and public spaces that better represent the communities they serve.

But putting her beliefs into practice hasn’t been easy. 

“It was really challenging at first,” she says. “This program is very different from other university experiences.” 

She describes the work as deeply personal and collaborative. 

“Our identities and personalities are embedded in the projects we create, and because we’re in such a small cohort, you build strong connections with your classmates.”

While she remains involved with Indigenous Youth Policy School, Scaabe School and Neechiwaken, the architecture program’s intensity meant stepping away from a part-time job.

“They expect you to be fully focused on your studies, which was a big adjustment for me,” she says. “I’ve always balanced work and school, but this program became my full-time job.”

Giving it everything

Long hours are common. 

“I’ve stayed up until 2:30 in the morning just to get a project to a point where I felt confident.” 

Another major challenge was learning to accept criticism. 

“Critiques are a crucial part of our faculty—we’re constantly receiving feedback,” she explains. “It really does build up thick skin, and (the) ability to take criticism and then pivot.” 

Hearing when her work didn’t meet expectations wasn’t easy.

“It’s difficult to be told your project isn’t strong enough. Sometimes I’ve had to start over completely.”

Still, she feels the skills she’s developing will serve her well in both her future studies and career. 

“There’s a really intense work culture,” she says. “It’s not necessarily encouraged by faculty, but among students, the mindset is that you get your work done before you sleep.” 

Fortunately, her parents instilled in her a strong work ethic.

Eyes on the future

Thomas notes that learning how to communicate those demands has been an adjustment. 

“Explaining that to family and friends was a big shift—saying, ‘I love you, but this is also a priority.’ I want a good education, I want strong grades, and I want to become a great designer and planner one day.” 

She says she has a summer internship lined up as a policy analyst at the nation’s housing agency, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. 

And she is also a national finalist for the McCall MacBain Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in urban planning at McGill University in Montreal. 

Looking ahead, she wants to spend some time in the field before eventually pursuing an additional master’s degree in urban design or landscape architecture. 

She’d also like to pursue a PhD one day, focusing on architectural education and how to rethink the way it’s taught—“so I can become an educator.”

Watch four UM Indigenous students pursue different post-secondary paths

At UM, through moments of transition, connection and growth, we see how Indigenous excellence is nurtured here, in a place where students are grounded in culture and supported to lead. Different paths, one place to begin. 

At UM, we are all Bisons!

This story is one of a four-part series. Meet Raven and Rayden.