Ashley Sanipass: Weaving Culture, Community and Career

Ashley Sanipass has built a career centered around sharing her Mi’kmaw heritage and culture. Through her business, Mi’kmaq Art Experience, Ashley—a Mi’kmaw woman from Indian Island, New Brunswick, and a 2006 graduate of Cape Breton University (CBU)—offers workshops and public speaking sessions focused on Mi’kmaw art forms, language and storytelling. Her work is deeply influenced by her time at CBU and Unama’ki College, where she not only gained academic knowledge but also developed a stronger sense of cultural identity and community.

As CBU prepares for the Indigenous Alumni Gathering, Ashley’s journey exemplifies the lasting impact of education and the success of CBU’s Indigenous graduates. Ashley says her time at CBU was transformative. Despite being one of the youngest in her class and living more than six hours from home, she found a strong sense of belonging in Cape Breton.

“I started quite young,” she says. “I was 18, far from home, and most of my peers were older, but I stayed focused and got a lot of work done.”

Ashley credits Unama’ki College with giving her the support she needed to fully embrace her university experience. When she first arrived at CBU, her parents hesitated about her staying because she didn’t yet have a place to live. But a visit to Unama’ki College changed everything.

“We were at the Dean’s office, and my parents were unsure, but then we visited Unama’ki College, and they immediately felt at ease,” she explains. “Hearing the Mi’kmaw language spoken, feeling that sense of community—it felt like family, and that’s why I was able to stay.”

Since earning her Bachelor of Arts in Community Studies (BACS), Ashley has applied the knowledge and cultural teachings she gained at CBU to her work. “I learned so much about Mi’kmaq history, our people and language from instructors like Joe B. Marshall and Eleanor Johnson,” she says. “Their teachings still influence my work today.” 

As the founder of Mi’kmaq Art Experience, Ashley shares her cultural pride through basket-making, storytelling and language workshops. Her business not only allows her to support herself and her children but also helps share the rich heritage of the Mi’kmaw people with the broader community.” I feel so great that I’m able to provide for my family through my business and tell our story through art,” says Ashley. “That’s what it’s all about for me.”

Ashley’s commitment to her community extends beyond her art. In recent years, she has been involved in teaching the Mi’kmaw language in her local school district, including offering the first-ever Mi’kmaw language course at a nearby non-Indigenous elementary school.” It was a full-circle moment for me,” she reflects. “Teaching at the same school where I once faced racism—it felt like healing. Like being given a role to create change.”

As CBU prepares to welcome Indigenous alumni back to campus for the Indigenous Alumni Gathering, Ashley’s story demonstrates the power of education, cultural pride and community. Her experience—from a young student far from home to a business owner, educator and cultural advocate—is a testament to the enduring value of her education.

“The knowledge I gained at CBU still influences everything I do today, from workshops to guest speaking,” says Ashley. “It’s something I’m incredibly proud of.”