Sue Sterling-Bur

Sue Sterling-Bur is from the Nłeʔkepmx and Sto:Lo Nations and is the Vice President, Students for the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology(NVIT), the only Indigenous public post-secondary in BC. Her educational experience includes an Early Childhood Diploma, a Bachelor, and a Masters’s Degree in Social Work. She is currently a Ph.D. Candidate at UBC, Okanagan Campus, where her co-supervisors are Dr. Jeannette Armstrong and Dr. Rachelle Hole. Sue is a Graduate Research Assistant for two projects at UBCO since September 2018. The first project is with the Transitioning Youth with Disabilities (TYDE) project with Dr. Rachelle Hole, and the second is working on revitalizing and reclaiming Nłeʔkepmx knowledge with Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, Indigenous Research Chair for UBCO.

Her doctoral research will provide an Indigenous perspective on the belief systems for giftedness in children with disabilities. She will base her research on the Nłeʔkepmx Spilahem stories to identify the ethics, values, and beliefs that will guide and direct working with and supporting Indigenous people with disabilities.