Gathering offers chance for students to celebrate success in education
By Diane Rodriquez
Words of praise and encouragement
greeted students who attended the annual
Student Gathering held June 21 at the
Tribe’s Hee Hee Illahee RV Resort in
Salem, Ore.
“Thank you for being here and I
think we should take the time to thank
our Tribal Council for always doing a
good job for making education No. 1 on
their list and to make sure our kids are
educated. They give us the money to guar
antee that the door’s open on tuition,” said
emcee Nick Sixkiller, education specialist
in the Eugene Area Office.
He described education as “a shield
to protect ourselves, our bows and arrows,
whatever it takes to defend ourselves
to make sure we stay here as American
Indians on our ancestral land. It takes
education to do that,” he said. “We’re very
proud of our community getting educated
and moving on. We hope that at one point
in your lifetime, you can come back and
support the Tribe.”
Following the theme of giving back
to the Tribe, Katy Holland, education
specialist in the Portland Area Office,
introduced Brian Stilwell, “a gentleman
in Portland who has gone back to school
and is just doing amazing. He had a dream
and he’s living it out.”
Stilwell is working on a bachelor’s of
arts degree at the Art Institute of Portland.
“My dream has always been want
ing to get into movies and television to
tell a story that I’ve been working on for
a long time as well as getting involved
with the Tribe more. I’ve always been
interested in Indians, of course, and to be
involved with the Tribe even more so, I
would hope to be able eventually to work
on a video documentary about the Tribe.
That’s a goal I’ve been working toward,”
said Stilwell. “I appreciate so much the
Tribe’s help. I wouldn’t be able to do this
without everybody’s support. It makes me
feel like I’m part of a nice community,
which is something I haven’t felt when I
was growing up.”
Holland described the journey of
Elizabeth Viles, who was a “college intern
who worked with me and all our youth
and they just loved her. She worked in
the Portland office and she’s just become
like family to us.”
Viles also worked closely with Dean
Azule at Portland State University in
a suicide prevention program, giving
presentations to Tribal youth in Uma-
Photos by Diane Rodriquez
Kevin Goodell
Brian Stilwell
Ashley Taylor
receives a Pendleton
blanket from Nick
Sixkiller, her student
incentive award for
graduating with a
bachelor's degree.
Elizabeth Viles
tilla, Yakima and Albuquerque. Holland
describes Viles as “quite a leader in the
Native community.”
“I’m originally from Central Oregon
and I moved to Portland to go to school,”
said Viles. “I graduated last Sunday
(June 17) with my degree and now I’m
working. I have a job, that’s a good thing.”
Azule, coordinator of Diversity and
Multicultural Student Services - Student
Affairs at PSU, and his wife, Luella,
attended the Student Gathering. Luella
Azule works for the North Portland Area
Indian Health Board as the project coor
dinator of the Injury Prevention Program.
Pow-wow, con’t from page 1
annual Nesika Illahee Pow-Wow. Many
of the facets of indigenous America are
represented at our annual event both in
craft and food. We have a flavor sure to
please every food connoisseur,” said Lane.
“There is something for everyone here.”
A free shuttle will be available from
various parking lots in Siletz to the pow
wow on Government Hill. Signs will be
posted. Parking is extremely limited at
the pow-wow grounds, which makes the
shuttle the best way to get there.
This alcohol- and drug-free event is
free. Listen carefully to the pow-wow
announcer, who will tell you when you
can and when you should not take photos.
Jennifer Cook
The announcer also will explain the
significance of the events taking place in
the dance arena throughout the pow-wow.
Pow-Wow Schedule
Aug. 10
6 p.m. - Royalty Crowning
7 p.m. - Grand Entry
Aug. 11
10 a.m. - Parade
1 p.m. and 7 p.m. - Grand Entry
Aug. 12
Noon - Grand Entry
Dean Azule also thanked the Siletz
Tribal Council and the Siletz Tribal Chari
table Contribution Fund, which donated
$ 1,500 to PSU for a graduation ceremony
for its 27 American Indian students.
First in family to earn degree
In addition to working full time,
Jennifer Cook has “been amazing this
year in college. She works full time and
she maintains really high grades” at Port
land Community College, said Holland.
“It’s so good to be here and be back
in school. I’m so appreciative,” said Cook.
“I’m transferring to Portland State. This
summer term, I’ll have my associate’s -
the first in my family to have a degree.”
Kevin Goodell has had quite a ride
since earning his GED in 2009.
“I just want to thank the Tribe. I
wouldn’t be able to do any of this without
them. I went through a lot of challenges to
be here in school right now. I’m 48 right
now and I just got my GED in 2009 and
decided as soon as I got it that, man, I
can go to college now,” he said. “So that’s
what I’ve been doing. I got a one-year
certificate and then a two-year associate’s
of science and an associate’s in general
studies in the last two years. Oh, and a
member of Phi Beta Kappa.”
Sixkiller recounted the growth of the
education program during his 16 years
with the Tribe.
“For me personally in the area office,
the education program has tripled. It
gained a lot of momentum; our graduation
rate is climbing. We have more students
in our schools now, in junior colleges and
major colleges around the state. We’re
really making progress ... in becoming
educated American Indians,” he said.
“I have 18 students at the University of
Oregon and when I first started there, I
had two.”
This year, Sixkiller said he has 12
graduates, six from UO and six in adult
vocational training programs.
One of the UO graduates is Ashley
Taylor, who received a bachelor’s of sci
ence in general science, with emphases in
chemistry, human anatomy, physiology
and substance abuse and prevention.
“I would like to thank these two
people (Sixkiller and Holland) up here
greatly because a few years ago I told
myself I was not going to be a science
major anymore because I couldn’t do it.
And I remember crying and crying and
saying I just wanted to be a social worker,”
said Taylor. “And Katy said no, you’re
going be a dentist, that’s what you’re
going to do. And then Nick writing rec
ommendation letters in half an hour and
sending them off to the school because
I’m a procrastinator. I say thanks to these
two for taking care of me.”
August 2012
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Siletz News
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