Tribal Affiliation/Ethnic/Racial Backgrounds:
Enrolled member Chickasaw Nation; paternal grandparents on original rolls for Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations of Oklahoma
Current Position:
Assistant Professor/Lecturer in the Bachelor of Social Work Program, College of Social Work, University of Utah
Co-director of the American Indian Social Work Education Program at the College of Social Work
Degree(s):
BA Anthropology (cultural emphasis)
Minor Native American Studies
Master's in Social Welfare
PhD candidate Social Work
Schools Attended:
University of Utah (BA/PhD)
UC Berkeley (MSW)
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health American Indian Summer Institute (scholarship)
Area of Focus:
Urban Indian health care policy
Indian child welfare
Non-profit administration and development
Social research methods
Social welfare policy and service delivery
What motivated you to obtain your educational/career goals?
I always knew I would go to school because my father went to college and my mother's family were teachers. Education was stressed but, it's funny, my parents NEVER sat me down to do homework! They were upset when I failed math and science, but never said much when I passed humanities/social sciences/English/reading and composition. Once I was in college I began to identify with the AI students, staff, and faculty. One mentor was AI faculty (Yurok) in Ethnic Studies and Social Work. I took a class from him and learned about social work as a profession. Nearing graduation, after 6.5 years as an undergraduate, I knew my anthropology degree wasn't going to pay my bills. I saw an ad in tribal paper for AI graduate student support at UC Berkeley. The School of Social Work was looking for AI students in graduate studies, and the rest is history.
What steps did you take to achieve those goals?
I credit my grandmother paying for my secondary education at a college-prep high school where I was introduced to writing and reading comprehension skills and exposure to socio-economically stable populations. I enjoyed learning in structured environments, which is why it took me so long to obtain the BA! I knew I wanted to work with/in urban or rural American Indian communities and social work afforded me experience, training, and opportunities to do just that.
Describe any obstacles or barriers to success that you encountered along your path:
I was always the only NDN in the classroom from K-12 grade. Attending school in Utah, I was often the only minority/racially diverse student who wasn't a member of the LDS church. Plus, I was fat and wore eyeglasses. Yikes! I was a target on so many levels. My parents had their own issues to deal with like workplace discrimination, overt neighborhood racism, drinking, mental health, bouts of emotional/physical abuse brought on by the previous two issues, so I was usually alone with my thoughts.
What advice do you have for college students?
It depends on the student. Everyone has a story. I approach advice based on what the student experiences at their institution - usually at predominately white universities - and what obstacles they need to tackle or resources they need to tap. Is it access to resources for books, tuition, housing, or is it cultural/spiritual need that is necessary to remain in balance? Ask. Find someone you can trust and have the courage to trust at least one person.
Enrolled member Chickasaw Nation; paternal grandparents on original rolls for Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations of Oklahoma
Current Position:
Assistant Professor/Lecturer in the Bachelor of Social Work Program, College of Social Work, University of Utah
Co-director of the American Indian Social Work Education Program at the College of Social Work
Degree(s):
BA Anthropology (cultural emphasis)
Minor Native American Studies
Master's in Social Welfare
PhD candidate Social Work
Schools Attended:
University of Utah (BA/PhD)
UC Berkeley (MSW)
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health American Indian Summer Institute (scholarship)
Area of Focus:
Urban Indian health care policy
Indian child welfare
Non-profit administration and development
Social research methods
Social welfare policy and service delivery
What motivated you to obtain your educational/career goals?
I always knew I would go to school because my father went to college and my mother's family were teachers. Education was stressed but, it's funny, my parents NEVER sat me down to do homework! They were upset when I failed math and science, but never said much when I passed humanities/social sciences/English/reading and composition. Once I was in college I began to identify with the AI students, staff, and faculty. One mentor was AI faculty (Yurok) in Ethnic Studies and Social Work. I took a class from him and learned about social work as a profession. Nearing graduation, after 6.5 years as an undergraduate, I knew my anthropology degree wasn't going to pay my bills. I saw an ad in tribal paper for AI graduate student support at UC Berkeley. The School of Social Work was looking for AI students in graduate studies, and the rest is history.
What steps did you take to achieve those goals?
I credit my grandmother paying for my secondary education at a college-prep high school where I was introduced to writing and reading comprehension skills and exposure to socio-economically stable populations. I enjoyed learning in structured environments, which is why it took me so long to obtain the BA! I knew I wanted to work with/in urban or rural American Indian communities and social work afforded me experience, training, and opportunities to do just that.
Describe any obstacles or barriers to success that you encountered along your path:
I was always the only NDN in the classroom from K-12 grade. Attending school in Utah, I was often the only minority/racially diverse student who wasn't a member of the LDS church. Plus, I was fat and wore eyeglasses. Yikes! I was a target on so many levels. My parents had their own issues to deal with like workplace discrimination, overt neighborhood racism, drinking, mental health, bouts of emotional/physical abuse brought on by the previous two issues, so I was usually alone with my thoughts.
What advice do you have for college students?
It depends on the student. Everyone has a story. I approach advice based on what the student experiences at their institution - usually at predominately white universities - and what obstacles they need to tackle or resources they need to tap. Is it access to resources for books, tuition, housing, or is it cultural/spiritual need that is necessary to remain in balance? Ask. Find someone you can trust and have the courage to trust at least one person.
