A baby in Grade 11, a diploma in Grade 12 meet a Tuktoyaktuk grad 'inspiration'

This story is a part of N.W.T. graduates 2020, a CBC North special that showcases high school grads from across the territory. It airs live Thursday June 18 at 7 p.m., on CBC Radio One, the website and CBC NWT Facebook.

Having a kid in high school usually means a big change of plans.

Not for Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T.'s Jewel Keevik. Her son Jayce was born in her Grade 11 year. Even so, she's graduating this year, right on schedule and ready to apply for universities.

"I feel freaking amazing," she said. "I'm so happy."

Keevik's graduation is a major achievement. In the N.W.T., almost half of students don't graduate at all. For Indigenous students from small communities, nearly eight in 10 don't graduate from high school.

Add motherhood into the mix, and those numbers drop even lower.

But Keevik proved those statistics are just numbers.

"At one point, I did consider dropping out," she said, "but it was just one of those days that you have."

"My mom, she was telling me, if I gave up now what kind of future would I have for me and my son?" she said. "I just had to do it. I couldn't give up."

Keevik is humble about what she's accomplished. She credits her mom, Rachel, and her teacher at Tuktoyaktuk's Mangilaluk School, Michele Tomasino, for urging her across the finish line.

"I think it's because of her that I went back," she said.

"Michele didn't give up on me. She kept checking in on me," she said. "She knew I was going to come back, but she knew I just needed a little break."

Ask Tomasino, and Keevik was always a special student.

"She was always a competitive student," she said. "Her work was always done ahead of others and because of that, I had no doubt she could finish, and she could push herself."

Tomasino also said the community played a part.

"We don't look down on people that get pregnant. We celebrate it," she said. "She's got a great little boy."

WATCH | Keevik reads her valedictorian speech to N.W.T. grads

Tuktoyaktuk mom reads valedictorian speech to Class of 2020

4 years ago

Duration 2:00

Jewel Keevik had her son before her Grade 11 year. Today, she's class valedictorian. Listen to her deliver her speech to the Class of 2020 on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

Keevik wrote a valedictorian speech dedicated to fellow grads across the territory. In her speech, she's honest about the challenges of finishing school.

"There were times where I thought I'd never graduate on time," it reads. "My message to you all is when things get tough, as they sometimes will don't quit."

"Take a break if you have to, but get back up and finish what you're doing. Never give up. Your education is so important."

Keevik's plan is to head off to culinary school. Years spent fundraising for a class trip to Europe allowed her to practice her cooking and baking skills, which Tomasino said show a lot of talent.

For her teacher, who's seen her grow since seventh grade, watching her graduate will be a bittersweet moment. Keevik's class was one of her first when she moved back to the community.

"It's kind of a sad moment for me," she said. "I call them my babies. Your first groups are always the ones that are closest to you."

Keevik's story, she said, is proof that even if you need to make adjustments to your life plan, an education is never off the table.

"I think Jewel is an inspiration to all the young people out there who are having children while they're in high school," she said. "There is a way to keep going and if not, it's okay to go away and raise your child, and come back when you're ready."

"Life is life," she said. "We're not all on the same timetable."

Keevik's speech, too, drives it home there's more than one success story in Tuktoyaktuk.

"You are all role models!" it reads. "Graduating high school is just a start to what you're capable of!"