Student spotlight: Clayton Maracle
My name is Clayton Maracle and I am Mohawk Bear Clan.
I started my post-secondary journey in the fall of 2023 at Mohawk College in the Applied Music program for guitar and earned an advanced diploma, graduating in June of 2026. During my time at Mohawk College, I took part in the Musical Sharing Initiative. This project focused on reciprocity and respect; it aimed to create a forum to decolonize, raise awareness of Indigenous teachings and their inseparable connection to music, and integrate them into our Western framework of what we consider music.
During the project, we collaborated with Indigenous artists Joe Alex Shawana and Nicole Joy-Fraser, as well as students from other departments within Mohawk College to share perspectives and make music together. During my studies at Mohawk, I was honoured to receive their Indigenous Student Award for Inspiring Youth for the 2023/2024 school year. I was also given a unique opportunity to be part of an Indigenous Global Citizenship Experience with the college, a trip to Hawaii during the spring of 2024, where I immersed myself in Indigenous Hawaiian cultures and values.
My success there inspired me to continue my post-secondary education, and I just started this September at the University of Toronto, studying in the Bachelor of Music program, Interdisciplinary Studies in Jazz guitar.
Read the full story in the Two Row Times: Student spotlight: Clayton Maracle