Honoring our Graduates with Clear Sky Native Youth Council

I live in Seattle, and for the past 3 years, my family and I have been involved in the Seattle Clear Sky Native Youth Council, a youth tutoring/cultural program for Native students here in Seattle. We do tutoring, provide mentoring for these students, who come from different schools from across Seattle Public School District. I graduated from the Seattle Public School District and it was hard for me culturally because I had just moved from Yakama Reservation and that transition was like jumping into cold water. But, now I’m a student at University of Washington and I want to make sure that I’m giving back to other kids who are struggling through high school in a city where they’re just a number. One of our biggest events is our “Honoring our Graduates” ceremony at the end of the school year where we invite various students to come and be recognized for their achievements through another year of school.

           

Hooray for our youth!!

It was a pleasant shock when Sarah Sense-Wilson, the head parent and good family friend to us, approached me with the request the students had made for the Student Guest Speaker. We held our Graduation at the Indian Heritage High School, a school that has a history of serving Native students—the campus buildings are covered in beautiful paintings and murals that establish a strong Native presence. I was humbled and excited for this opportunity because education is something I’m very passionate about and I know it’s a hard road for our Native students; they have to walk in two worlds and bring the best part of who they are back and forth. But also, I had just been crowned Miss Yakama Nation, so this was one of my first ‘gigs’ so to speak.

Public Speaking

It made me feel very proud and excited to see so many kids come to be recognized. My friend Angelo Baca brought his students from Big Sky High School, and kids from all corners of Seattle from middle school to high school were there. We had a luncheon, and our other speakers included “NDN’s for Justice” Millie Kennedy and her protégé my friend Patricia Allen. Our elder Alice Too said a few words of course, while Robert Fredricksen aka Ravenspeaker, MC’d the event.

As the presenters, we were gifted with a print!

I’m very passionate about teaching our kids that they can use their heritage and culture to make a difference in the world. Knowing who I am as a Yakama is what got me through my identity issues in high school, and I know there’s so much to keep learning and discovering about myself and my people. Native kids struggle with their identity in so many ways, and when we can come together to celebrate what our young ones have done, it’s good medicine that rubs off on us. 

Indian Heritage High School '11 Graduation!!

I was asked to be a Guest Speaker at the Indian Heritage High School Graduation. Indian Heritage High School is a school in Seattle Washington where many students struggle with the same issues as our youth do on the Reservation. In urban areas, Native people can be from Tribes all across the country which makes their ability to find their culture particularly unique and troublesome. But for some time now, my family and I have had the wonderful opportunity to network with the teachers Robin Wilson and Principal Cindy Nash to find ways to bring cultural support to these students. We have had tutoring sessions and conducted prayers and sang honor songs and smudging ceremonies.

At this graduation, many of these students were in attendance. There were six graduates (five are pictured) which is a testament to their hard work and perseverance. It was held at Daybreak Star in Seattle Washington, the place of the historic Takeover at Fort Lawton. I addressed parents, graduates, and notable educators from the Seattle Public School District. I acknowledged the land of Duwamish and thanked Indian Heritage High School for having me. In my speech I discussed the importance of pursuing higher education and commended the parents on their support in their children. I spoke about the struggles of our Native students on the Reservation but also about our successes. I spoke about how our children need to find the support they need in the face of adversity. Afterward, my dad gave the opening prayer and we proceeded with the Commencement. 

The best part was hearing all the students thank their families and God for getting them that far in life. These students come from very humble backgrounds and have had to struggle with addiction, poverty, and family issues to get their Diploma. I was very proud and honored to have been able to address them as a representative of the Yakama Nation.