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