At 27 years old, Lyric Oblin-Moses already has so much to be proud of: a Bachelors of Science from the University of Ottawa; a Masters of Public Health from the University of Toronto; the love and support of her fiancé, Jacob, who she’s set to wed in July 2025; and, a beautiful baby girl, who she carried and gave birth to while in graduate school.
But it doesn’t stop there.
In September 2024, Lyric began the journey to pursue her long-time educational goal of going to medical school. “I spent so long contemplating applying and not going for it. It took me a few years to build that confidence. There was nobody else that was really holding me back except for myself,” Lyric explained. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘I should at least give it a shot; I feel like I owe it to myself.’ This was a dream of mine, something that I really wanted to do for a long time.”
While growing up in Waswanipi, Lyric gained a passion for learning that she credits to her family and teachers. In particular, she fell in love with math and science. But because advanced classes – such as physics, chemistry, biology – were not made available in her community, her family moved to Gatineau. While she attended high school there, her parents, aunt, and uncle attended college and university, which motivated her as a student: “I got to see first-hand the work it takes to study in university. It left an impression on me, showing me that it was within my reach.”
Her chosen field of study didn’t only fit because of her favourite subjects, but because her future profession aligned with her values, interests, and passions. “My drive is to contribute back to the community in some way. For me, medicine felt like the right path,” Lyric explained. “We know there’s an underrepresentation of Cree people in the medical field, and we need Cree Youth to pursue healthcare related fields. I’m going into this with the intention of practicing in Eeyou Istchee.”
When the conversation shifted to the challenges that come with living in the south, Lyric shared that she felt emotional thinking about it. “Moving so far away from home – from our culture, our language, our extended family – was one of the hardest things that we had to reflect on,” she stressed. The immense decision to attend post-secondary far away from home isn’t a hardship she bears alone. “Making the move to study in Ottawa, we’re making that sacrifice as a family.”
Another constant burden she acknowledges is the presence of racism – both overt and covert – as a student living and studying in the city. “We’re coming into spaces that are very western and institutional. I would even say these spaces originally weren’t meant for Indigenous people. It really wasn’t that long ago when policy determined we weren’t allowed to be doctors, we weren’t allowed to be lawyers.” Even though barriers still exist, Lyric strongly believes that change for the better is currently underway.
When she received the Eeyou-Eenou Chiskutamaachewin Scholarship, Lyric was pleasantly surprised:
“I consider the Foundation to be a representation of community, so receiving the scholarship is very meaningful.”
With this extra support, she and Jacob were able to better plan quality time together as a family. “For me, the time I have right now is really important. Once I’m in the hospital, I’ll have even less time,” Lyric predicted. “The scholarship was a huge, huge support. We were able to do things as a family during the Christmas break and offer experiences to our daughter.”
I asked Lyric what advice she would share with Cree Youth who may be contemplating med school. In a way, this question allows her to speak to her younger self – the little girl from Waswanipi. “Remember not to be so hard on yourself because it’s not easy. Remember that you have a community who’s cheering you on. And always remember you have support.”
Story and photos by Karen Joyner-Blom