I was born Rebecca Simailat Iyago at the Military Hospital in Fort Churchill Manitoba into a large family of twelve. My name was later changed to Becky  like the character in “Tom Sawyer” after one of my older sisters had read the book.  I attended primary, elementary and junior high school in Baker Lake before being sent off to Yellowknife for my senior high school years. Shortly after high school graduation, I applied and got accepted into Eastern Arctic Teacher Education Program (EATEP) in Frobisher Bay. It took two years to obtain a certificate from McGill.

Upon graduation in 1985 I interviewed for a position in Baker Lake and was successful. My first teaching job was as a special needs teacher which I found very challenging. I then went on to teach in the primary grades K, 1 and 3. I found myself moving up the grades as the years went on. After teaching grade 5, I worked as a co-principle. I was then transfer to the high school as the Inuktitut teacher for grades 10-12. But before the transfer I had worked as a co principal. I’m passionate about empowering youth - I like to give them their voice and I love to listen to what they to say if the youth have no voice then how can they possibly become the successful Nunavut citizens that we want them to become?