Indigenous Initiatives Welcomes New Staff, Daniel Perez Gamez

We are happy to announce that Daniel Perez Gamez, a PhD student in UBC’s department of Geography, has been hired as a Graduate Academic Assistant working on the IN/Relation and Our Calls to Action TLEF projects. Daniel will be working on research and curriculum development relating to these projects. 

We asked Daniel to introduce himself in his own words…

Three fun facts about Daniel:

  1. I learned to talk before I could walk, so I talked the walk instead of walking the talk.
  2. I have memorized maps of cities and locations within them, even if I’ve never visited.
  3. I learned to swim in the sea.

    Daniel Perez Gamez, Graduate Academic Assistant, Indigenous Initiative

What are some of the things you have started working on in your new role? And what are some areas you are looking forward to exploring?

I have begun to focus on the history of Residential Schools in British Columbia because I wanted to learn much more about what happened, and because as an “outsider” I would like to be able to offer a different perspective attuned to the needs of international students and faculty at UBC. I also look forward to doing some research and writing for the guidelines and materials this project aims to produce.

What excites you about joining this team/working on this project?

Being able to put my work in the service of a wider community, and in particular, participating as much as I can in the project of decolonization in Canada and beyond. At the same time, the team that I’ll be working with is full of fantastic people!