Exterior entrance of Aubrey R. Watzek Library featuring a concrete cast of an owl carving made by Chief Don Lelooska (1933–96) of the Cherokee tribe. Lelooska was a prominent Native American artist and storyteller in the Pacific Northwest.
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Passion, Commitment, Dedication
Tell us about your heritage. How has this shaped your educational and/or career journey?
I’m an enrolled citizen of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon. More specifically, my family is of the Wasco people. The term “Confederated Tribes” means that multiple bands or groups of Native Americans are included in a single tribe or on a single reservation. Ultimately three separate bands were moved to the Warm Springs reservation: the Wasco, Warm Springs, and Paiute tribes. My ancestors lived along the Columbia River and primarily subsisted on the bountiful salmon runs. As an environmental studies major, I focused on environmental toxicology and impacts to salmon populations. As a law student, I focused on environmental law and federal Indian law. My heritage—in particular my connection with salmon and the natural environment—has been the foundation of my educational journey.
Where do you find some of your most significant influences from your heritage, such as role models or inspirations (these could be from your past and/or current)?
As a high school student, Professor Robert Miller was a key influencer in my life. He pushed me to pursue college and law school, and he was always a great mentor and friend. My current inspirations are the Indigenous students at L&C’s College of Arts and Sciences and Law School. The Native Student Union (NSU) and Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) students are so inspiring! They are passionate, caring, and some of the hardest working students I know. One of the reasons I stay so involved with the school is to make sure that these students have the support they need to be successful in their academic pursuits and post-graduate endeavors.
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Unique, Progressive, Rigorous
Tell us about your heritage. How has this shaped your educational and/or career journey?
I grew up in a multicultural/multiracial house, in which both German and Indigenous cultures were represented. I was a Native American dancer and crafter, and loved representing my culture. As I got older, I unfortunately spent less and less time participating in these activities. I always knew I wanted to work with a diverse community, representing a multitude of cultures.
Where do you find some of your most significant influences from your heritage, such as role models or inspirations (these could be from your past and/or current)?
My great aunts were traditional Native dancers, and could make regalia as well. I loved to watch them sew bells on dresses and create magical headdresses and moccasins. It was at those moments I felt closest to my people.
From your perspective, what does a meaningful celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Month include?
Representations of Indigenous art, literature, movies, and food. It has taken too long for us to be represented in film and TV, but it’s finally happening. I would recommend reading Louise Erdrich (author), watching the films Smoke Signals and Wildhood, and listening to the podcast All My Relations. Also, take a walk through your favorite forest, by a waterfall, or along the coast and remember who lived there first. Be thankful for their land and find a way to give back to the Nation that the land belonged to.
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Learning, Adapting, Innovating
Tell us about your heritage. How has this shaped your educational and/or career journey?
All aspects of my life, including my education and career, are defined by my being a Native American woman and an enrolled citizen of the Chippewa Cree Nation. My personal journey includes experiences that unfortunately are not uncommon to my generation. I was removed from my home, became a foster kid, and later adopted into a non-Native family. Fortunately, as an older child, I knew who I was and never completely lost contact. Once I was of age, I was able to reconnect with my family and my cultural heritage.
Where do you find some of your most significant influences from your heritage, such as role models or inspirations (these could be from your past and/or current)?
My first significant influence came from my grandfather. He was forced to attend Chemawa Indian School. As a young woman, I spent time speaking with him and he shared how that experience changed his life and how he overcame being taken from his family, tribe, and culture. He went on to serve our tribe as a council member, testified before Congress, and was recognized as a wise man. He was very proud of me and encouraged me to both do good work and to walk in a good way.
From your perspective, what does a meaningful celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Month include?
A meaningful celebration includes an acknowledgement of the people of the place where we live and that unless we are tribal people of that place, we are visitors. For example, as a Chippewa Cree person, my homelands include parts of what is now known as Canada and Montana. I am a visitor here in Oregon. In addition, a meaningful celebration recognizes and admits the true history of Native Americans in regard to colonists and settlers. This is Indian Land.
Graduate Program:School Counseling
Job Title and Organization: Academic Program Administrator, Portland Public Schools
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Thoughtful, Community-center, Individualized
Tell us about your heritage. How has this shaped your educational and/or career journey?
I am an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock tribes of Fort Hall, Idaho. I’m also Mexican-American on my father’s side. My Native American culture has always played an important role in my life. Despite being an “Urban Indian,” I grew up dancing, learning to bead, gathering and preserving foods, and visiting family in Fort Hall.
Representation in education is critically important for our students. I grew up not seeing educators who looked like me or shared similar experiences to mine. I became a school counselor to be a presence for students to see someone who they could relate to and confide in with deeply personal issues, as well as trust my guidance around post-secondary plans.
As a school counselor I actively worked to help Native and Latinx students develop a positive racial identity and connection to their cultural heritage at school. Whether it was through facilitating affinity group spaces or organizing field trips to culturally specific activities, I always prioritized giving students access to identify-affirming experiences. A positive identity and sense of self is a protective factor for students and especially for our Black and Brown students.
Now as a district administrator I’m focused on ensuring students have access to a comprehensive school counseling program that builds personal social and academic skills as well as builds students’ knowledge of career and college readiness. We regularly infuse equity work into our professional learning with school counselors, which includes helping our professionals see the importance of affirming students’ racial identity in the school setting each and every day.
Tell us about your heritage. How has this shaped your educational and/or career journey?
My family comes from the jungle. From the deep greens of the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico, and where the milpa lifestyle (Mesoamerican agro-ecosystem for maize, beans, and squash) is the normal way of life. Where the concept of time is determined by the sun. Where my grandma swings in her hammock and watches her chickens and dogs run around free. Where very few people speak Spanish, and all the elderly ladies dress in their huipils. Having this as my heritage is what inspired me to pursue my Hispanic studies major. I became interested in understanding the complex dynamics of being Indigenous in Latin America. In order to begin to understand that, I had to solidify my understanding of “Hispanic” and what colonization means in the Latin American context. The complexities that make up my heritage are what inspire my curiosities and make me want to learn more and more!
