Student says university more than books and classrooms

If the road to success is a straight one, Rayden Seela took a more wandering route.

After “slacking off some” in his first and second years at the University of Manitoba (UM), Seela decided this year would be different. 

He pushed himself to get more involved, joining three Indigenous leadership groups while carrying a full course load and working part-time. 

The challenge paid off.

“I’ve learned and grown so much from being in student groups,” he says as one of a record 3,292 Indigenous students at UM in 2025.

“I’m good at organizing my time.”

Graduating with a goal

Now, Seela is set to graduate in April 2027 with a clear goal in mind: a career in policing with the RCMP. 

He hopes to combine his leadership experience, problem-solving abilities and passion for fitness — he practices CrossFit and dance four times a week — into work that serves First Nations communities. 

“I always knew there’s more than one way to be intelligent,” he says. “I like being physically active, I’m good at reading a room, and I’m very emotionally aware.” 

For Seela, some of his most valuable lessons happened outside a classroom.

“The experience I’ve had outside academics has helped me so much,” he adds. “I’m very big on activism and just being a loudmouth — I guess you could say.”

His role as an on-campus Indigenous residence advisor has also shaped his perspective.

“You’re on call, and people come to you when they’re in distress or having problems that I help deal with.”

Growing up in northern Manitoba

Seela grew up in Thompson - Manitoba’s third-largest city located approximately 760 kilometres north of Winnipeg. He has ties to Fox Lake Cree Nation about two hours northeast of Thompson. 

“There aren’t a lot of opportunities there for youth,” he says while relaxing at Migizii Agamik -Bald Eagle Lodge, the Indigenous Student Centre on UM’s Fort Garry campus.

So, he hopes to “strongly encourage” others to enroll in university — particularly UM, which offers extensive support for Indigenous learners.

Along with a dedicated Indigenous student centre, UM offers Indigenous students financial aid, Indigenous academic programs, cultural support like sweat lodge ceremonies, research opportunities and initiatives focused on reconciliation. 

Seela has taken his own advice.

Last summer, he jumped at the opportunity to appear in an Indigenous student recruitment video for the university. The video, which features First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, has since attracted impressive views online. It has also earned enthusiastic reviews from Seela’s biggest fans back home. 

“I posted it on my Facebook and Instagram (pages) for my friends and family to see, and everyone loved it,” he says

Watch four UM Indigenous students pursue different post-secondary paths

Giving back to UM community

Seela was recently elected 2026 Indigenous rep to advocate for Indigenous students at the university. He is expected to provide cultural support, amplify voices and advance reconciliation – a major plank in UM’s academic and operational framework. 

Again, Seela recommends giving university a chance.

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 Jory.

This story is part of a four-part series.