Never on Jackson’s career trajectory was a foray into TV stardom. But, after being approached on more than one occasion by the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN) about joining Wild Rose Vets, a docuseries about three Indigenous veterinarians, she realized the positives that could come from a wider audience.
“I was really lucky to have the financial support of my reserve, and the emotional support of my family, but not everyone has that,” Jackson says. “That’s why, for me, representation (to youths on reserve) is the most important thing, to show them through media that becoming a veterinarian is possible and not something that seems out of reach or a path they can’t take.
“I also wanted to give animal-welfare organizations the platform of the TV show so that, ideally, they could have increased funding. In the end, money is the most important component of accessibility. As a volunteer at AARCS (Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society) I suggested them to the producers as a site to do the show. They’re an organization with good intentions and have shown to have long-standing relations with Indigenous communities, rather than traditional one-and-done philanthropy.”
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You can watch her in action on APTN’s Wild Rose Vets, available on Lumi. Or come see her in practice, working alongside other UCVM alumni at Village Vets.
