Elise Stolte is a beat reporter and feature writer at the Edmonton Journal, with a long-standing interest in First Nation and Metis communities. She’s passionate about First Nations education and has written several pieces exploring the challenges posed by underfunding and the lack of a supportive school system. This series looked at how many children are not even registered for school, an interest born out of covering the frustrating cycle of poverty and crime on First Nations reserves and in downtown Edmonton, where many of those who don’t complete high school end up.

Elise has an academic background in social and environmental studies with a Masters in journalism. She’s grateful for those who have helped her understand the history and context of the struggles today in First Nations communities, an effort that’s taken her from the basement boiler room of a former residential school, through the court rooms and into a sweat lodge. Although the subject matter for these articles can be difficult, the many passionate people working to better their communities keep the story always moving forward.

Stolte is grateful for help received from the many competent educators in this field, and to those students and former students who agreed to share their stories, and would like to thank photographer, Greg Southam, and Lucas Timmons who did editing on the multimedia map.