The Ministry of Education provides funding to the WECDSB to provide intensive, culturally responsive support to Indigenous students by hiring success coaches with lived experience and connections to Ontario’s diverse Indigenous communities. 

These advisors work with school staff and school board leadership and offer direct support and mentorship to Indigenous students to support their well-being and academic achievement. 

The program also helps to promote greater access to postsecondary opportunities so that when they graduate, students can get the specialized training they need to enter well-paid, skilled careers. 

The Indigenous Success Coaches at the WECDSB are Fawne Lomascolo and Kamika Kechego.

Fawne Lomascolo	Kamika Kechego

What is an Indigenous Success Coach?

The Success Coach Program for Indigenous students is a targeted initiative that will aid in the support of self-identified Indigenous students along with their families and the community with the overall goal of seeing each self-identifying student achieve credits, graduate & successfully transition into post-secondary and/or the workforce.

How do we support students?

• Mentorship and goal building
• Preparation and aid in Secondary to Post-Secondary transitions
• Increased student well-being
• Learn and be a part of Indigenous-led initiatives and events
• Workshops and network building
• Supporting course credits and community service accumulation

Our Mission

To Know

To know and welcome self-identified Indigenous students. We as a board must know, identify and acknowledge the systemic barriers and racial inequalities in the Canadian Educational system to help improve educational outcomes for our Indigenous student population.


To Inspire

To inspire, guide, nurture, and support self-identified Indigenous students along the way to academic betterment.


To Empower

To empower Indigenous students by providing them with knowledge, skills, and mentorship that is on a level that builds their reality and understanding of their identity by inspiring a sense of pride and building a deeper connection to their roots and community.