Hi! I am Cinquasha Smith, and I am from Whati, Northwest Territories. Whati is located 164 km northeast of the territory’s capital, Yellowknife. It is about a 3-hour drive.

During my time with the NYA Next Program, I accomplished many things. I could say I am experienced in different fields of trade. One of the many things I was able to do was a PLP (Personal Learning Project). I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d like to do. I thought it would be fun to challenge myself and do some things on the lake. However, when the time came, I did not want to be doing too many physical activities outside, as we were already doing things as a whole group. The heat here is also no joke!

My personal learning project initially involved rowing, but I later changed it to cooking. I attended a private Chinese cooking class with two other participants. I chose cooking because I enjoyed a culinary class we attended earlier this month, and it made me realize how much I love the culinary arts. During the class, we made three different dishes: bibimbap, bulgogi and spicy tofu stew. The class made me realize how easy it can be to make tasty meals in other cuisines with just a few ingredients. I was able to bring back printed recipes of each meal and will, most definitely, make them again!

I grew up watching my mom’s side of the family cooking. My mom, with six kids at the time, made homemade meals from scratch. Growing up, she would teach us to bake and cook from a very young age. Watching and learning how to cook delicious food had sparked in an interest in my siblings and I. Today, we continue to cook and also teach the younger children within my family how. I hope to continue cooking and also spark an interest in cooking for the younger generation, just as my mom did for us.