About Cedar Bridges Consulting

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  My name is Jalissa Schmidt, I identify myself as a multi-racial urban (and suburban) member of the Acho Dene Koe First Nation. I am Dene, El Salvadorian, and Irish. I carry my First Nation ancestry through my maternal line. 

My path is one of decolonizing myself and the world around me. I am grateful to have connection to my ancestry through family and community, especially knowing that it is a rare experience for urbanized Indigenous Peoples. 

It’s been a journey navigating walking among worlds, a journey that came with many teachings and gifts of knowledge that I respect and uphold with the deepest care. My intention is to share my experiences and the knowledge gifted to me in a responsible way that honours myself, my family, my community, and the journey of reconciliation.

I offer a unique perspective on this work. I have personal experience as a student, educator, administrator, and consultant. But most importantly, I have the lived experience of just being me – navigating multiple worlds, systemic barriers, colonization, intergenerational impacts, and the path of decolonizing and indigenizing. 

With my experience, I add another layer of perspective and representation to the 1.8+ million ways of being Indigenous. Our diverse voices collaborating to honour each other, our communities, and future generations.

Education 

 Master of Arts: Humanities, 

Simon Fraser University

Bachelor of Arts: Religion, Literature, and Art, 

The University of British Columbia

Personal Accomplishments

Presenter at the PDGIA conference, April 2025 

 Schmidt, J., & McNichols, C. (2025). Decolonial and Indigenous perspectives in school counselling. In K. Berynets, A. Porter, J. Peluso, & R. Stella (Eds.), School counselling in Canada: A comprehensive guide  

Presenter at the Teaching and Learning Conference, 2023

Presenter at the PDGIA conference, 2023