Jorden is Tsimshian and a member of the Lax Kw’alaams band from her mother’s side. She was
born and raised on Tsimshian territory, in the town of Terrace, BC. She recently completed a
Master of Public Health from the University of British Columbia and will be continuing her
education by completing a PhD in Indigenous Public Health. Jorden’s community leadership,
teaching, mentorship and advisory work is centered around confronting the cultural and
systemic transformations that need to occur in order to address health inequities. Her doctoral
work will focus on young Indigenous people who use substances and experience HIV-risk, and
understanding the importance of connecting them to land-based programming. She is
extremely thankful for the honor of receiving the Shannon’s Dream scholarship from the First
Nations Caring Society, as it is an organization that has inspired and influenced the work that
she has done. A tremendous thank you also goes out to the generous donor who will help ease
financial barriers during her doctoral degree.