When Seth Cabezas got his final passing grades of university, the first thing he wanted to do was run and tell the Indigenous Student Services (ISS) about it.  

"I really wanted to go into ISS and just kind of scream out, 'I did it!' and just give thanks and gratitude to all the people who helped me get there," he said.  

The ISS has played a big part in his university experience. Cabezas came to McMaster as a transfer student from the University of Toronto in 2023, entering the Faculty of Social Sciences with a double major in Honours Indigenous Studies and History.  

His first experience with the ISS came as a student in the Indigenous Transition Program; later, he became an ambassador and mentor with that same program. "Those connections really strengthen our community."  

During his time at McMaster, he's also been a fire keeper for ISS and a traditional fire keeper in the community, taken part in ISS events and become a leader on campus.  

"I'm excited to be done school, but I'm really going to miss being at McMaster and being on campus with my peers and within the ISS community."  

"I always look forward to seeing those faces and being in that space every single day…. the support that I had in that space was just second to none."  

Creating a lasting impact

Cabezas has been a pitcher on the McMaster baseball team throughout his time here. In 2023, he was one of the co-founders of the Indigenous Student Athletic Council, which was created to provide a community for Indigenous student athletes at McMaster, increase Indigenous representation in sport, and provide a platform for student athletes to advocate on behalf of and represent the interests of all Indigenous student athletes with administration.  

"We felt that it was really important to highlight Indigenous student athletes, but mainly be able to connect and create a community amongst each other," Cabezas said.  

It's done just that. ISAC started with four students and has grown each year, providing support, shared experiences and opportunities.  

"We were table to talk and maintain that balance that is so hard to maintain as student athletes, but also the spiritual and emotional aspect to being Indigenous and encountering different things while in a colonial institution and colonial setting," Cabezas said. "That was a really big thing to be able to share those lived experiences with each other."  

ISAC helped with Orange Shirt Day events at McMaster, as well as the rollout for the new Indigenous Marauder logo that launched in September 2025. 

"The logo, that's something that's going to leave a lasting impact when we're gone," he said. ISAC also collaboratively produced the mini-documentary Two Feet in Your Canoe, along with ISS and the McMaster Marauders, a story of culture, identity, belonging, and spirituality told through the voices of Indigenous student-athletes. 

Being a part of the logo initiative also led to increased awareness of the ISAC, with students asking "really great" questions about it, Cabezas said. In December, he appeared on the CHCH Hamilton Sportsline Podcast to talk about teamwork, coaching and Indigenous student success.  

And after the logo rollout, more Indigenous students came forward, Cabezas said, who were either scared to come forward at first or didn't know about ISAC. "We keep discovering more and more student athletes who are Indigenous." 

Cabezas' role in the logo initiative and community building is part of the reason he is being recognized with the President's Award for Excellence in Student Leadership this week at convocation.

He credits ISAC, and the Indigenous community as a whole at McMaster and beyond, with giving him a lot of purpose and belonging.  

Standout memories including beading nights with ISS, as a way to take a load off and share in a cultural and spiritual safe space, and fire teaching and fire keeping. "Being able to do that and share that with people was always really special. Again, kind of just made me feel like I was in the right spot." 

Through the Indigenous community, he's been able to pursue a lot of his passions and nurture his strengths and skills.

"Being able to grow as a student, but also an Indigenous man, and learn more about my traditional roles, my journey of reconnecting and reclaiming my Indigenous roots, was really, really impactful."  

"I think I couldn't have done it without the Indigenous community, to be honest," he said.

"Not just school, but in general – being able to have those opportunities was really special. And being able to take on the leadership roles that I have has really set me up for my future."  

Cheering each other on

After he graduates, Cabezas hopes to stay involved with ISS in some capacity. He also plans to go to teachers' college eventually.  

But first, his focus and next step is going to be taking in his 16-year-old sister. 

"It's been a big process through my time at McMaster," Cabezas said. "I've been working to take her out of care for a long time. She'll be moving in with me this summer."  

Their summer plans will include relaxing at a cottage with friends and family, sports and staying active, and stopping in for a momentous visit at ISS.  

"I'm hoping to take her to the ISS at some point and show her around, show her that community and all the people that were cheering her on from afar," Cabezas said.  

Finding your place

When Cabezas mentors students in the Indigenous Transition Program, as they are just starting their journey at McMaster, he offers them this advice: Just be you.  

"I really feel like everything that was supposed to happen to me happened. So don't worry, do whatever it is that you're going to do, because I really wouldn't change a thing, even the hardships."  

And he's also giving that advice to his other little sister, who will be starting at McMaster this September. "She's a really bright kid. I'm really excited for her to be here."  

He's telling her to try everything, and not be limited by fear or what anyone else tells you that you should and shouldn't do. And he reminds her that time isn't linear.  

"Everything is cyclical. Even though it feels like sometimes we're confined by and limited to these linear systems, everything comes around when it's meant to and when you're supposed to be there…. that was sometimes really hard to remember being a student."  

It doesn't matter if you need to take a little bit more time, or if you're working ahead.  

But don't be afraid to communicate with your peers, support system and professors. "People are a lot of times understanding if you can just communicate that," he said.  

"I always say to my friends and to the Transition people: Treat yourself like someone you love. If someone you love was struggling, you'd do everything you could to support them and give them grace and give them patience. So give those same things to yourself."  

The good life

When Cabezas graduates at the Faculty of Social Sciences convocation this week, he'll be thinking about all his ISS family.  

He was also at the Indigenous Graduate Celebration, which he was looking forward to even more. "For me, it's just a little bit more personal and special." He's gotten emotional seeing the send-off for friends in previous years. And his little sister will be at Indigenous Grad.  

"To be able to experience that with the culture and with my peers is going to be a really emotional and impactful experience."  

"My time has come around at McMaster," he said. "And I think it'll come around again." 

He closes the conversation with "Mino-bimaadiziwin": an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) term meaning "the good life." 

It emphasizes harmony with oneself, community, and the environment, often guided by Indigenous teachings, connection to the land, and the Seven Grandfather Teachings. And it represents a balanced, holistic and healthy way of living.   

"That's what I always try to follow and what I always try to remind my peers of," Cabezas said. "I think if you follow those teachings and you follow that good path, you'll live a good life."