AUGUST 1, 2002
Smoke Signals 13
fUl
M
im
amy Faces
By Ron Karten
Graduation this year brought out a range of people taking advantage of educational opportunities. Among the graduates are Tribal Elder Claudette
Parazoo, grandmother and second time college graduate, and Tribal member Allison Empey, who graduated as valedictorian of McMinnville High
School. Both have a strong interest in education but their lives are about as varied as members of different generations can be.
Grandmother of eight keeps learning, earns second degree
Claudette Parazoo al
ready had a full career at
the Forest Service and the
Bureau of Land Manage
ment (BLM) and an Asso
ciate Degree in Account
ing at Oregon Institute of
Technology (OIT) in Kla
math Falls when she went
back to school.
"I was not really ready
for retirement," she said.
At the Salem campus of
Portland State University
(PSU), Parazoo majored
in sociology and psychol
ogy with courses in
Women's Studies, Urban
Studies, Indian Culture,
Indian Treaties and In
dian Law. Maybe her fa
vorite was history.
Even before her educa
tion began, Parazoo has
been in the middle of things. She was a staff
assistant in the Biological Resources division at
the BLM during the height of the spotted owl
crisis. And when President Clinton visited the
Northwest, she recalls that "he couldn't believe
. V... v : - . ;
that the Forest Service, the
BLM, and Bureau of Reclama
tion didn't talk to each other.
He started the government to
government relationship and
said that they needed to talk
to the Tribes," she recalled.
"When you're a part of history,
you can remember things that
those who weren't part of it
don't understand. It's nice to
be a part of that history."
Following her retirement
from BLM in 1994, she spent
six weeks in Mount St.
Helens, where her daughter
was working for the Forest
Service as a cultural inter
preter. Then, for six months,
she studied Information Sys
tems at OIT.
She has raised five sons and
a daughter, and now enjoys
seven grandsons, a grand
daughter, two stepdaughters and three stepsons.
"I used to be involved with the culture," she
said. "My kids attended pow-wows, rodeos, I did
beadwork and sewing, but now it's education.
She attended classes part time for seven years
to earn her Bachelor of Science degree from
PSU.
When working for the Klamath Tribe in
Chiloquin, Oregon, from 1975-81 (between the
Klamath Tribe's termination and restoration),
Parazoo read a letter in some documents that were
given to the office. It was from the Superinten
dent of the Klamath Indian Agency to his superi
ors in Washington D.C. and she still remembers
word for word a part of that letter.
"We will teach them what we want them to
know so they will willingly give us what we
want..." she said. "How's that for a quote?"
The letter heightened her belief in the impor
tance of education.
"So, education interests me because I think
the more education you get, the less likely you
are to 'give them what they want.' I'm suspi
cious of the treaties now, not just because they
were signed while the military stood by with
their guns, but the interpretation of what they
said is in question.
"I hope education gives me the edge on that.
In my mind, the more you learn, the more you
question, and for me, the more interested I am
in what's going on. What I will do with (this
education), I don't know." But she is looking at
the Tribal Administration graduate program at
PSU.B
ti - ' .-. . , , . .
McMinnville High Honors Tribal Member Allison Empey
v' I
f-y, . , v ....... i
f f " I I
J
Tribal member Allison Empey works hard and
it shows. One of sixteen Valedictorians at
McMinnville High School this year, Empey and
fellow Valedictorian Justin Tillery were chosen
by their peers to speak for the group.
"We have learned how to persevere," she said
in a speech that mixed sincerity with humor.
"We have worked hard. . .when senioritis hit, we
may have been tardy but we were there."
And there she was and will be remembered
not only as a straight A student, but as an ath
lete excelling in three sports (soccer, basketball,
and tennis), as a leader selected for National
Honor Society, Key Club, Mac Club, manager
of the Action Corner Enterprises where she led
30 students and handled a $90,000 budget. For
that, she was named Outstanding Marketing
Student of the Year. She was chosen by her
peers to lay a wreath at the tomb of the Un
known Soldier during the seniors' East Coast Adventure.
She also has raised money for cancer research
in the Relay for Life.
McMinnville High School principal Mickey Toft
said that Empey "im
pacts so many parts of
our school but some
times you wouldn't even
know that she's a
leader. She leads by
doing," he said. "She's
very collaborative."
As a Tribal youth, she
was a princess for many
years, and last year with
other members of Roy
alty, she represented the
Tribe at the Gathering
of Nations Pow-Wow in
Albuquerque, N.M.
"I've learned like so
much about the culture
from the Tribe," she
said. "I didn't know I
was an Indian until I
moved here in second
grade. They supported
me in my schooling and
they've given me a lot of
opportunities like
sporting camp and so
many things."
"I'm pretty proud of
her," said her mom,
Joanne Empey, a certi
fied teacher who is now
working in the Before
and After program at
Grand Ronde Elemen
tary. "They know I expect
them to do well and they
do well," said Joanne of
Allison and her sister
Erica
Anything that has been hard for her?
"Cleaning her room," said Joanne.
Empey attends Stanford University next fall.
Financial Aid & Scholarship Information
Education Trust Fund Scholarship
The Tribal Education Trust Fund Scholarship Program is designed to rec
ognize and provide financial support to Tribal members who have demon
strated scholastic and leadership abilities and wish to continue their educa
tion. The Scholarship program is open to all Tribal members, regardless of
residence, age or need.
Scholarship Categories:
Adult Vocation Training Program, Full-Time and Half-Time
Undergraduate, Full-Time and Half-Time
Graduate, Full-Time and Half-Time
Eula Petite Memorial Scholarship
Scholarship &
Internship Opportunities
McKenzie River Ranger District 2002 Heritage Expedition
Oregon Native American Chamber of Commerce Scholarship
IBM Project View Program
The Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon:
Tribal affairs fellowships for the Master of Science in Public Policy and Man
agement. State Farm Summer Internship Opportunity
American Indians CommitteeAmerican Indian Scholarship Information
Smithsonian Native American Community Scholar Awards
The Ford ReStart Scholarship Program
Oregon Health Sciences University Office of Diversity Scholarship
Continuing and Distance Education
This program provides funding to members of the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde who are who are attending school on a part time basis towards
the completion of an Associate of Bachelor Degree from an accredited College
or University.
Funding: Up to $800 for undergraduate students and $1600 for graduate
students per quarter or term.
Short Term Training
This program provides funding to members of the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde for employment related skill development and training, cul
tural enrichment and personal and professional development through class
room instruction, seminars, workshops, conferences, apprenticeship, certifi
cations or licensing programs, and accredited vocational college and universi
ties. This information is available in more detail on the CTGR website under
"Tribal Government Programs" and under that in "Education." For further
information regarding these scholarships and other opportunities contact
Kevin Simmons in the Education Division at 503-879-2288.