Krystal Brant (BA ’06) is driven to improve the lives of Indigenous people, one patient at a time.

A Mohawk (Haudenosaunee) woman from the Bear Clan, and a band member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte with maternal ties to Six Nations of the Grand River, Brant was recognized with the 2026 Faculty of Humanities Distinguished Graduate Award during recent homecoming celebrations.

Brant, who graduated from Brock with a bachelor’s in History, is an educator, Registered Social Worker and Indigenous advocate with more than 15 years of experience spanning post-secondary education, Indigenous community leadership, social work, mental health and health care.

An instrumental voice for Indigenous people in Canada, Brant has advocated for Indigenous rights at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York in 2023 and 2024 as well as at the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Geneva in 2024.

In her current role as Indigenous Relations Specialist, Staff Development with Niagara Health, Brant combines her educational expertise, historical knowledge and cultural identity to help employees develop an awareness of Indigenous perspectives.

Drawing on her training at Brock as a historian, she educates hospital staff about the lived experiences of Indigenous communities and the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma.

“My job is to help staff develop an awareness and understanding of the issues facing Indigenous patients through preventative education,” she says.

Her connection to Indigenous communities also helps her communicate important information about regular health checks and services available.

Brant uses breast cancer screening as an example of her work.

“We know that Indigenous women have a high rate of breast cancer, so what can we do to make it more welcoming for Indigenous women to visit health-care sites for regular screenings,” she says.

Brant, who didn’t always see post-secondary education as a possibility, was encouraged by a high school educator to apply for Brock’s History program.

“I loved studying history, but I always wondered, where were the native people? Even thinking back to grade school, we would learn about an historical event, but Indigenous people were left out — we have been sitting on the periphery of Canadian history,” she says.

Brant’s studies at Brock spurred her on in the field of education, and she has since completed master’s degrees in  education and social work at other institutions.

She spent 12 years working at Seneca Polytechnic, including five as a full-time faculty member teaching Canadian history from a First Nations perspective and supporting Indigenous education and student success.

Of her many accomplishments, Brant is most proud of her family. As mother of five children, and grandmother to one granddaughter, she considers creating a safe, peaceful and thriving home for her family to be her greatest achievement.