Mary McPherson is a daughter, sister, auntie, and a mixed Anishinaabe member of Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario, where her family is from. She grew up in Thunder Bay, working as a visual artist in the community while pursuing her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts and Indigenous Learning at Lakehead University. She has since obtained Juris Doctorate from the University of Ottawa, and is currently pursuing a Master of Laws at Queen’s University.