Shirley: A Residential School Story

Shirley: A Residential School Story

From The Human Challenge by Vanessa Ferlaino

March 31, 2026 · 40 min

About this episode

Shirley Horn shares her experiences in residential schools and her journey of healing and reconnecting with her Indigenous culture.

As we mark National Indigenous Languages Day on Turtle Island, Shirley Horn shares her residential school story, growing up in not one, but two residential schools. She would return years later to Shingwauk Hall after it became a university to pursue her education, become first chancellor, and then Chief of The Missanabie to help return land back to her community. In this touching episode, Shirley talks about her life healing the trauma that came with the residential school system, reconnecting with Indigenous culture, and her longing for Indigenous language. Learn more about her life in a new children’s book, “Shirley: An Indian Residential School Story,” written by Joanne Robertson. Available now! Special thank you to Children Of Shingwauk Alumni Association and Algoma University. This episode was recorded in The Elder Room at Shingwauk Anishinaabe Students Lounge at Algoma University. Cinematography by Shae Mclurg. The Human Challenge is hosted and produced by Vanessa Ferlaino . Watch the full episode on her Youtube channel here . Don't forget to subscribe! The Human Challenge is an award-winning podcast, recognized by Amazon Music and ACAST as an Indie Podcast Amplifier…

People in this episode

Host: Vanessa Ferlaino

Guest: Shirley Horn

Topics covered

  • residential schools
  • Indigenous culture
  • healing trauma
  • education
  • language preservation

Keywords

  • residential school story
  • Indigenous languages
  • Shingwauk Hall
  • land return
  • children's book

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Children Of Shingwauk Alumni Association, Algoma University

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