{"id":2364,"date":"2026-04-27T11:56:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/?post_type=cu_people&#038;p=2364"},"modified":"2026-04-27T11:56:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:56:25","slug":"melissa-moses","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/people\/melissa-moses\/","title":{"rendered":"Melissa Moses"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"mb-6 cu-pageheader cu-component-updated md:mb-12\">\n    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold !mt-2 mb-4 md:mb-6 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] relative after:absolute after:h-px after:bottom-0 pb-5 after:w-10 after:bg-cu-red after:left-px\">\n                    \n             \n                \n            <\/h1>\n\n    \n    <\/header>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Kru Melissa Moses is a Nlaka\u2019pamux, Syilx, and Stl\u2019atl\u2019imx woman born and raised in the Nicola Valley and a proud member of the Lower Nicola Indian Band. She is a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) student at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) and an active student leader, serving as a Student Representative on the NVIT Board of Governors and the NVIT Education Council, a member of the NVIT Student Council, and Co-Founder of the NVIT Law and Social Justice Club. She also serves as a STC Title and Rights Stewardship Analyst for the Nicola Valley Title &amp; Rights Holders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Melissa is a certified Muay Thai and self-defence instructor and the first First Nations woman in Canada and the United States to be certified by the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Naikhanomtom Association. She is the Founder and Chief Instructor of Nicola Valley Muay Thai and Self-Defence, where she has trained women and youth since 2018 using culturally grounded approaches to safety, healing, and empowerment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 2020 to 2026, Melissa served as the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) Women\u2019s Representative, advocating for Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people across Turtle Island. Her work included advancing the MMIWG2S Calls for Justice, supporting community-driven safety initiatives, and helping pass UBCIC resolutions addressing gender-based violence and Indigenous-led healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Melissa is a frequent public speaker and advocate on issues including gender-based violence, human trafficking, and Indigenous women\u2019s safety. She was mentored by NVIT faculty member, lawyer, and activist Sharon McIvor to attend the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva in 2024, gaining international experience in advancing Indigenous and women\u2019s human rights. In 2025, she received the NVIT Lieutenant Governor\u2019s Medal for Inclusion, Democracy, and Reconciliation in recognition of her leadership and service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Grounded in her culture, community, and the teachings of her Elders and Matriarchs, Melissa continues to bridge Indigenous law, social work, and self-defence to advance healing, justice, and the safety of Indigenous women and youth. She plans to attend law school to further strengthen her advocacy for Indigenous rights, justice, and community-led change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":2365,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cu_people_first_name":"Melissa","cu_people_last_name":"Moses","cu_people_initials":"MM","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_people_type":[32],"cu_people_expertise":[],"class_list":["post-2364","cu_people","type-cu_people","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_people_type-student-network"],"acf":{"cu_people_job_title":"Research Assistant","cu_people_degree":"","cu_building":"","cu_people_office_num":"","cu_people_pronoun":"","cu_people_designation":"","cu_people_email":"","cu_people_phone":"","cu_people_phone_ext":"","cu_people_linkedin":"","cu_people_bluesky":"","cu_people_twitter":"","cu_people_instagram":"","cu_people_facebook":"","cu_people_website":"","cu_people_orcid":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/2364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_people"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/2364\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2366,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people\/2364\/revisions\/2366"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_people_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people_type?post=2364"},{"taxonomy":"cu_people_expertise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/rfng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_people_expertise?post=2364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}