Shipmaster’s Fund Scholarship recipient hopes to become first female First Nations captain
PORT HURON, MI – Cadet Jackie Day has a dream of becoming the first female First Nations ship captain. The Aamjiwnaang First Nation resident will soon be finishing out her last year in the Marine Navigation Technology Program at Georgian College in Owen Sound, Ontario, with support from a Blue Water Shipmaster’s Fund Scholarship.
The Port Huron-based fund was established at the Community Foundation in 2004 by Captain James C. Acheson in partnership with the International Ship Masters’ Association (ISMA) Lodge #2 to support local students attending the Deck or Engineering program at either the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, Great Lakes International Marine Training Giving Center Grants Scholarships Key Programs Centre, Georgian College, or St. Clair County Community College’s transfer program. Typically, awards of $1,000 are given from the fund each year, but due to no applicants in 2020 and 2021, Day was awarded a $3,000 scholarship.
She has been enrolled in Georgian’s program for three years, but her journey to the sea began more than 25 years ago. When she was a young college student taking law and security classes, a co-op summer placement at the Ontario Provincial Police Marine Detachment sparked her interest. But she had just gotten pregnant with her first child and life took her in other directions
“I worked a lot of different jobs,” Day said. “I was a teacher’s aide, a security guard, a receptionist, a casino dealer, a private investigator … but nothing ever really worked for me. I never loved any of them. I would find myself moving on within three years.”
But she still thought about a career on the water, and once her kids were older she began pursuing it. She began by applying for the Canadian Coast Guard, but without experience she couldn’t get in. In 2011, she attended Georgian and received a Marine Emergency Duties Certificate, but it still took her another three years to get into the Coast Guard, finding a position, not as a deckhand, but as a steward serving meals and cleaning cabins.
I was thrilled, Day said. “I figured at least it got my foot in the door.” Less than a year later she had worked her way up to chief cook, working on the Canadian Coast Guard/Royal Canadian Mounted Police vessels. Although she enjoyed cooking, it was still not where she wanted to be.
‘I wanted to be a captain one day, the first female First Nation Captain … that was my dream, Day explained. “So I made the hardest decision to go back to school and take the Marine Navigation Program at Georgian College.”
Since then, she’s been working hard toward that dream. Her program includes coursework at the college which also requires 360 days at sea. This September she will head out with Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) for 90 days to finish the last of her sea days, where her duties include loading cargo, mooring, navigation, safety officer tasks and more.
“I love it!” Day said about working on the ship. “Every day I wake up it’s something new, being able to travel, seeing new places, working on different ships, meeting new people … it’s the only thing I’ve tried that I haven’t got sick of after three years.”
She has a few remaining classes to complete in the spring and a final oral test next summer and then she will receive her Watchkeeping Mate Certificate and can finally start her career as a 3rd mate … nearly 30 years after she first dreamed of working at sea. Then she will be one step closer to her goal of becoming a captain.
That will be no easy feat in an industry that has very few women. While the number has increased over the last few years, it is estimated that only 1.28% of the global seafarer workforce are women, with 94% of those working on cruise ships or passenger ferries. But that doesn’t deter her.
“I’ll have to work hard and make my way up each level,” she said. “To be a good captain, you really have to understand each role on the ship well, so you have to spend a few years at each. It won’t be easy, but that is my 10-year goal.”
It was Day’s story of persistence and determination that struck a chord with the ISMA scholarship committee. “We were excited to receive Jackie’s application,” said Judy Pitrago, committee chair. “It gave us a good look into a very hard-working, deserving woman, driven by goals and willing to sacrifice material things to reach those goals. We know she has a bright future ahead of her.”
Jackie’s community knows as well. She has become a role model to her children and grandchildren as well as to the residents of Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
“People in my community call me a role model,” she said. “They say I am an inspiration to young females on the reserve.” They follow her on Marine Traffic and wait on the docks at the casino or the reserve when she is passing through. “They’ll be lined up waving to me and sometimes even have signs,” she said.
“It makes me so happy that I can be an example for them and encourage them to follow their dreams. If I can do this, they can do it too … whether they are female or First Nation or 48 years old like me. You’re never too old in your pursuit of happiness!”
For more information, visit info@stclairfoundation.org
Community Foundation of St. Clair County
Governors seek federal funds for Duluth-Superior bridge project
Gov. Tony Evers, together with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, announced Thursday their departments of transportation will seek $889.5 million in federal funding, available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to rebuild the John A. Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior.
“From students to workers to commerce, the Blatnik Bridge is an absolutely critical piece of our economy and a vital route for workers, business owners, students, and visitors to get from point A to point B every day,” said Gov. Evers. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a once in a generation opportunity to modernize the critical infrastructure that makes our economy work, and this project is a perfect candidate for this funding to strengthen our port cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota.”
“I’m proud to partner with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to ensure the Blatnik bridge gets the funding it needs to be completed safely and efficiently,” said Gov. Tim Walz. “This is an important infrastructure project for Northern Minnesota, our neighbors in Wisconsin, and our interconnected economies. We look forward to moving forward on this project.”
The Blatnik Bridge was built in 1961 and carries Interstate-535 and US 53 connecting Duluth and Superior over a tributary of Lake Superior. The route is an important freight and commercial connection between the Twin Ports and serves more than 33,000 cars per day.
“The Blatnik Bridge is the most vital connection between the two cities of Duluth and Superior,” said Superior Mayor Jim Paine. “Despite the state and natural border between us, the bridge makes us a single, greater community: the Twin Ports. Every day thousands of our citizens rely on this indispensable bridge to connect us to work, home, and commerce. This bridge is not only our link to one another, but to the future of both our cities.”
“Connectivity is something I hear about all the time,” said Duluth Mayor Emily Larson. “Public infrastructure that supports people, businesses, and visitors are the things that bring us together. The Blatnik Bridge is quite literally a prime example of this—a critical piece of infrastructure that connects not just Duluth, MN, and Superior, WI, but entire regional economies across two states that also supports the Great Lakes shipping industry connecting our regions to the rest of the world. I am thankful to the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin for investing in this vital connection point for all of our communities.”
If successful, the application for federal funding will cover a substantial portion of the project’s budget and streamline scheduling. Design work for the project, which would determine specifications and shape the total cost of the project, will begin in the near future.
Jointly owned and managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), the Blatnik Bridge is currently load posted for 40 tons. The replacement project will improve safety and accommodate oversize and overweight loads.
“Wisconsin and Minnesota have a history of working together to make the most of our unique geography,”said WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson. “Rebuilding the Blatnik Bridge is a great example of our regional commitment to transportation infrastructure that offers greater safety, resiliency, and quality of life.”
“We’re grateful to our partners at WisDOT for the shared commitment to the vitality of the Twin Ports,” said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “With funding through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’ll be able to rebuild the Blatnik Bridge to modern standards, improve safety and accessibility, and ensure the communities of Duluth and Superior continue to thrive—and I know we’re all eager to get to work.”
Business North
Those behind the effort to bring Navy submarine repair facilities to Ohio hopeful to be under contract soon
LORAIN, OH – Good news from the Bartlett Maritime Corporation, the group behind the project to bring major submarine repair facilities to Lorain and Lordstown. Company officials met last week at the Pentagon with senior Navy leadership to discuss the status of their proposal.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be under contract before too long to do the preliminary planning for the two new facilities we proposed,” said company founder, chairman and CEO Ed Bartlett. “One in Lorain to support building equipment to be installed in new ships and one in Lordstown to support maintenance of equipment in existing ships.”
Read the full article at this link: https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/oh-lorain/those-behind-the-effort-to-bring-navy-submarine-repair-facilities-to-ohio-hopeful-to-be-under-contract-soon?fbclid=IwAR3RnW1XvvsTq8MTAtjZRqZQvKV8a3mpp3Gn2xZCUNS7csvAmO4uNoh68GQ
News 5 Cleveland
