Alumni Profile: Bobbi Rose Koe

Bobbi Rose Koe
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
2007 Arctic Expedition

When a last-minute spot opened up on the Students on Ice Arctic 2007 expedition two days before departure, Bobbi Rose Koe got a call. She had five minutes to decide whether or not to go. More than a decade later, she has seen at least half of Canada, and in part, it has shaped who she is today.

“Every opportunity: Take it.”

Bobbi Rose watched orcas, listened to inspiring educators and saw a mother polar bear and her cub feast on a walrus. “Nunavut was so different to me, I learned so much and after that I just encouraged other youth to get out and learn more about other cultures, because you never know what you could bring back.”

One thing she didn’t expect to bring back was the confidence to talk to a crowd. “I used to get really shy when I had to speak in front of everybody, and after that I started learning how to speak in public.” It was a gradual process, but it’s a skill she’s been exercising ever since.

In 2019 Bobbi Rose hosted the Indigenous Women’s Drum-Making Workshop in Whitehorse, funded by an SOI microgrant. Additionally, Bobbi Rose recently wrapped up her term on the SOI Alumni Council, contributing to the further development and connection of the alumni community around the world. In 2020 Bobbi Rose received the SOI Inspiration Award at the 20th Anniversary Alumni Summit.

From guiding on the traditional lands of her people, the Tetlit Gwich’in, to participating in programs like Indigenous Women in Community Leadership, to starting the Youth of the Peel movement and more since her SOI expedition, Bobbi Rose has fully embraced her journey of lifelong learning. She is starting an outdoor adventure business called Dinjii Zhuu Adventures that focuses on tourism and programming in the North.

“It’s great to be able to have participated in these opportunities, and now I get to give back by making new opportunities.”