Voices behind the Indigenous Design: A Conversation With Makayla Mantla

In this feature, we are highlighting Makayla Mantla, a fourth-year nursing student from the Tlicho community of Behchoko who is pursuing her dream of becoming a registered nurse while inspiring Indigenous youth to follow their own paths in healthcare.

Makayla is Indigenous from the Northwest Territories, Treaty 11, and is from the Tlicho community of Behchoko. Her path into healthcare wasn’t straightforward. After graduating high school in 2012, she spent several years working in retail before upgrading her classes in 2019. That shift in mindset helped her reconnect with a childhood dream of becoming a nurse.

Since then, Makayla has stepped into healthcare with a vision for change. She has shared her story as a motivational speaker, inspiring Indigenous youth to pursue education and follow their dreams. Her ultimate goal is to increase Indigenous representation in the Canadian healthcare system and to work with newborn babies as a registered nurse.

Q: What inspired you to work in healthcare?

I graduated high school in 2012 and after working retail jobs for 7 years, I had to upgrade my classes in 2019. For the first time my mindset shifted — I believed I was smart and capable of getting an education.

I remembered that dream I had as a young girl about being a nurse. For a moment I imagined myself walking across that stage at graduation and I felt like crying. Even as I write these words I am tearing up. That is how I know I am meant to become a registered nurse and to follow that dream of working with newborn babies.

My goal is to help the next Indigenous generation follow their own dreams and purpose for their life.

Q: What inspired you to be part of this design?

Jessie Jasra and I met in person for the first time after I gave my speech at the University of Alberta in April 2025. I told her I loved how this brand was Canadian and how we need to support our local businesses.

As we both inspired one another, I wanted to be part of this design to include what my dad and grandpa would have wanted, and generations before them.

Q: When you think about this design, what’s the one detail that means the most to you?

Being a Dene woman from Behchoko, my dad told me to tell the people we need to be ‘Strong like Two People.’

What means the most to me in the canoe is that it represents ‘The trails of our Ancestors,’ that we cannot forget who we are, and where we came from.

Q: What do you hope people think about when they wear it?

When people wear this shirt, it means more than you know. Not only are you supporting a Canadian brand that wants to give back and help Indigenous Peoples in Canada, but we are building a foundation for the next generation of Indigenous healthcare providers.

One day you will see Indigenous Peoples in every clinic, every hospital, one city and one country at a time. I believe Indigenous Peoples deserve to be seen, heard, and included for all the years they were not.

Closing Words from Makayla

I want to say thank you in my Dene, Dogrib language: Mahsi Cho.

The picture I included here was a memorable moment for me. It was my first time putting on Indigenous-made earrings. After a lifetime of feeling embarrassed and ashamed, this was very difficult because in the past I did not want to look Indigenous or for anyone to know I was Indigenous. But I can now say at the age of 31 I am proud to be an Indigenous woman from my Tlicho, Behchoko community.

We are so grateful to Makayla for sharing her story, her vision, and her time with us in this feature. Her voice, alongside those of Randeana Ulmer and Selena Moore, shaped the meaning behind this limited edition collection. Together, their guidance made this project possible.