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Wilson makes a difference now while continuing toward doctorate “No matter what / personally gain from this degree, the empowerment will grow exponential with every life I can touch and make a difference loved so she sought out all developmental classes offered at WOU. "1 graduated cum laude (3.5 or better) with Psi Chi (National Honor Society in psychology) honors and an Outstanding Senior Award,” said a smiling Wilson. “This is impressive to me, my biggest accomplishment. Every term my grades improved until the last year I had a 4.0 all year and 1 was just so proud of that.” Also during this time, she married Sam Wilson. By Natasha Kavanaugh Racheal Wilson currently attends the Human Development Family Stud Rachael Wilson also mentors at Tal ies (HDFS) Ph.D. graduate program at madge Middle School in Independence, Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore. Ore.; has been an assistant teacher at Tenas Illahee Child Care Center in Siletz, She is interested in researching aging from the psychosocial perspective and Ore.; volunteer coordinator at M-I Cham developing technologies to help older ber of Commerce in Independence, Ore.; and a member of Circle K International adults maintain independence. Another interest includes American Indian research and the Western Oregon University Psy in family and development. chology Student Association (WOUPS A), both in Monmouth, Ore. Wilson is the daughter of Bekki Lundy-Ramsey and Bret Croucher Sr. Most recently she was awarded the and the granddaughter of Dan and IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education LaRita Lundy. and Research Training) Traineeship, a She is a psychology graduate experi grant for students pursuing their doctor enced in day care and mentoring at-risk ates. The National Science Foundation youth, skilled in American Sign Language (NSF) gives a $30,000 stipend per year for and psychological development, and a two years of its doctoral program, along Dean's List student whose ambition is life with tuition remission, support for research long education and applying her knowledge costs and health insurance coverage. to promote healthy lifestyles within Tribal “So I’ll get my master’s and just communities, as stated in her resume. continue with my Ph.D. with a minor in Wilson graduated from Siletz Valley healthy aging, which is the big scholarship Early College Academy, where she was I got through the NSF,” said Wilson. “The salutatorian and received two scholarships. reason the stipend is so much is because She then attended Western Oregon they expect you to be a full-time student. University (WOU) and graduated in June My school is completely paid for, which with a bachelor’s of arts degree in psy is a really good thing.” chology with a minor in special education/ Problem-based learning is an inte rehabilitation counseling. gral part of the IGERT program and will After taking the first developmental prepare Wilson for a career that focuses course, she knew it was something she on research and teaching, innovative Chetco, con’i from page 1 tors also will see interpretive panels with three educational story lines - the story of the land and the river, the indigenous plants and animals of the Chetco River Valley and how they were used in daily life, and the history of the Chetco people. According to the group’s website (chetcoindianmemorial.com), a water feature at the site “will be a scale repre sentation of each of the microcosms, from the headwaters of the Chetco River, to where it enters the Pacific Ocean, from the springs and upwellings at its source, to the rapids and spawning pool of the mid-river, to the metaphoric return to the ocean. This is an open system that will pump water from the boat basin and be aerated as it enters the top of the cascading pools. It will continue to be aerated as it cascades down into the salmon pool and through the rapids and again as it falls back into the boat basin.” “Our hope is that all people will receive an understanding and apprecia tion of these early residents and realize that this place, its heritage and resources, belong to all of us and we need to pro tect it,” said Tymeus. “Because Oregon residents value the places that reflect their community’s history, public awareness of this site and the importance of its past use will not only educate the community and visitors on the richness of local history, but it will also assist in ensuring the site will be protected if future development of the area is ever proposed.” The nonprofit Chetco Historical Memorial Committee was established in 2009 by a group of private citizens who are Chetco Indian descendants. During that first year, the group received $ 15,000 from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund to develop and plan the memorial and also secured the memorial site. Additional funding has come from the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Curry County Cultural Coalition, the Coquille Tribal Community Fund and several individual donors, including Marion Carrillo’s third- and fourth-grade class at Kalmiopsis Primary School in Brookings, which donated $205.56. Those donating services to the project include Kevin Sargent of Bitwise Com puter Services, Roberts & Associates Land Surveying Inc., JC LandClearing Inc. and Sporthaven Inc. Donations can be sent to Chetco His torical Memorial Project, P.O. Box 132, Brookings, OR 97415 and can be made on the group’s website -chetcoindianmemo- rial.com. If you would like more informa tion, contact Timeus at 541-661-4178 or Adrienne Crookes at 541-510-0355. Photo by Natasha Kavanaugh Racheal Wilson training in theory, empirical research and Another project Wilson worked on methods for studying individuals, families was the remodel of the visit room in ICW, and communities. where her office was located. She was not “I want to give back to Tribal com asked to remodel it, but while sitting in on munities by implementing programs for a visit during her third day on the job, she Tribal members that promote healthy started looking around. Then she started lifestyles and integrate Tribal Elders into making a list of possible improvements. family-based programs,” she said. “I want By summer’s end, the room had to make a mentoring program especially been painted (she even got to pick the for ICW, but I think it would probably be color), rearranged for more activity areas, for the whole Tribe - Tribal youth, kids the closets had doors and the clothing in need of a cultural mentor and have an was organized. aunties and uncles cultural thing. I think “I want to come back to Tribal com we need one. I think the hard part of that is munities, Siletz included, and try to funding, so we ll have to get into grants.” implement some programs,” said Wilson. At her last job for a while, Wilson “I haven’t really decided my focus yet, worked this summer in the Indian Child but with parenting, I want to incorporate Welfare (ICW) program as a project spe Elders into the family dynamic because cialist through the Tribe's College Intern there’s a lot of programs that have the ship Program. She did job shadowing with whole parenting family, but they don’t Shawna Henarie, ICW case manager 2. include the grandparents, where around “She job shadowed me a few times on here a lot of times the grandparents play the road and really helped me talk things a really key role.” through, enabling me to keep things in Speaking of grandparents, Dan and perspective. (She) also helped me with LaRita Lundy’s relationship (married for coming to some difficult but necessary 45 years) and their faith in God has been decisions,” said Henarie. “Racheal was most influential. an absolute joy to have around ICW “I can always talk to them. In fact, during her internship. She contributed a any big decisions in my life I go to my thoughtful and insightful voice during our grandparents to see their opinions or just staffings and case reviews,” said Henarie. some wisdom,” said Wilson. The most important project she Memorable moments with her worked on, said Wilson, entailed a lot of grandma include helping to remodel the research to see if there is any link between kitchen this summer and scrapbooking generations of generational trauma in and card-making, saying she admires abuse cases. “grandma’s ability to maintain control of “Current cases I’m looking at to see any chaotic family holiday or get-together if there is something else we can do more, preventative methods. For instance, if without breaking a sweat. 1 get my control freakiness from my grandma.” there was an obvious physical abuse case Memories with grandpa included from father to son and then that child has a fishing, tying flies and scouting elk. child - to see if there is something we can do to prevent him from having any sort of “We have discussions about all abuse towards his child. So then there is, kinds of things on our drives - life les just from looking at it, there is some sort sons, childhood stories, life to death and of link,” explained Wilson. anything in between,” said Wilson. “She “Racheal’s main project while work enjoys his sense of humor and ability ing here was doing research on genera to see the humor in situations out of his tional trauma. I believe knowledge is one control. She said she shares his quest for step in beginning to heal our families knowledge and lifelong learning. from these traumas that are still being “It has been a joy to watch Racheal passed from generation to generation and grow into the woman she is. Her spiritual Racheal gave us a big head start in gaining and academic accomplishments are many. that knowledge,” said Teresa Ueland, ICW We are so proud of her in her walk with case manager 4. “I really enjoyed having Creator and her courage in moving into Racheal interning here, not only because what He has for her,“ said Dan Lundy. she is such a fun and caring person, but “She has made us proud. I can hardly wait with her education and insight she always to see what happens next with Racheal. had me thinking in ways I wouldn't have We are looking forward to the day we can before, seeing the bigger picture. address her as Dr. Wilson.” October 2012 • Siletz News • • 5
