16
S moke S ignals
JANUARY 1, 2016
Tribal member Monty Herron seeking doctorate degree
By Brent Merrill
Smoke Signals staff writer
For most people, having gradu-
ated with a bachelor’s degree and
a double minor is plenty, but not
for 43-year-old Tribal member
Monty Herron.
Herron said he is set on
accomplishing much more
than his degree and he’s
hoping the main beneficia-
ries of his hard work will be
the Confederated Tribes of
Grand Ronde.
“I want to have a positive
legacy,” said Herron. “I want
to make a difference.”
After having spent the last
five years pursuing a bachelor’s
degree at Portland State Univer-
sity, Herron is now enrolled in the
school’s Graduate School of Edu-
cation to gain a master’s degree in
education and policy.
Previously, Herron has worked as
an emergency medical technician,
security guard at Spirit Moun-
tain Casino, corrections officer at
the Oregon State Penitentiary,
mid-level manager at T-Mobile
and a conductor for the Union Pa-
cific Railroad before a short stint
with the Tribe’s Social Services
Department as an administrative
assistant.
“I did all these great jobs,” said
Herron. “But my income always
topped out because I didn’t have
a degree.”
While working for the Tribe
he started looking into pursuing
his education to a greater level.
He talked to the Education De-
partment’s Senior Administrative
Assistant Debbie Bachman about
what it would take to get back into
school.
Bachman encouraged Herron and
got him in touch with then-Edu-
cation Director April Campbell
and then-Academic Adviser Luhui
Whitebear-Cupp. Herron also
worked with Bryan Langley and
John Harp to return to school and
continue his education.
“I am eternally grateful to them
because they told me I could ab-
solutely do this,” said Herron of
the Tribe’s Education staff. “All of
those people are super important
to thank.”
Herron said he also wants to
thank his mother, Tribal Elder
Sharon Wattier, father Darrell
Herron, brother Michael Herron,
sister Cheyanne Running Bear, for-
mer Tribal Council members Steve
Bobb Sr. and Wink Soderberg and
current Tribal Council members
Cheryle A. Kennedy and Brenda
Tuomi for their help.
He said he prays to his people
who have walked on, including his
grandmother Margaret McAbee,
great-grandparents Elizabeth “Liz-
zy” Leno and Paul Buffalo Lafferty,
and great-great-grandparents Da-
vid and Tilmer Leno.
“They are the people that I pray
to and I pray about,” said Herron.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for
those people that refused to give up.
It’s good to reflect on that.”
Herron said he is grateful to
Tribal member Deitz Peters and
the Tribe’s very first Education
Director Dean Azule.
Herron said Peters is very sup-
portive of him. “He lifts me up,”
said Herron.
Part of Herron’s goal in pursuing
his education was to have career
options. His main goal is to end up
working for the benefit of Indian
people.
“I’ll be able to teach at the
college level,” said Herron.
“I’ll also be qualified to
work in administration in
any educational setting. I
could work for the Portland
School System’s Office of In-
dian Education creating more
culturally competent teachers.”
Herron said he wants to be part
of what he sees as a necessary
change in education.
“I see a lot of colonial injustice in
education where Native children
are concerned,” said Herron. “I
want to put myself in a position
where I can create culturally com-
petent teachers, culturally compe-
tent curriculum and de-colonize
methodology. Natives have our own
way of knowing that are just as val-
id and just as important as white
colonial. That’s important to me.”
Since moving onto Portland
State’s campus, Herron has been
involved in many student activities
and has fully embraced the univer-
sity atmosphere.
“I’ve had such a transformative
experience at that school,” said
Herron. “I got involved in the
United Indian Students of Higher
Education and I’ve been a speaker
for the Queer Resource Center.”
Herron said he has been involved
in a number of speaker panels an-
swering questions about his “two
spirits” status and that he has
always been interested in studying
communication. Herron said that
he was recently appointed to Port-
land State University President
Wim Wiewel’s Campus Oversight
Committee for public safety and
that he often guest lectures about
culture and indigenous issues in
classrooms on campus.
Among his other activities, Her-
ron also served the school with a
stint as Victor the Viking, Portland
State University’s sports mascot.
“I focused my studies on commu-
nication, philosophy, governance
and indigenous views,” said Her-
ron. “I ended up with a bachelor’s of
arts with a double minor in commu-
nication studies and philosophy. I
was really, really happy with that.”
Herron said he satisfied his for-
eign language requirement with
two years of Chinuk Wawa.
“I’m really grateful to the Tribe
for the Chinuk Wawa classes that
we have,” said Herron. “I’m su-
per grateful to everybody over at
Culture. I’m really thriving and
enjoying that.”
Herron said the next education-
al goal is to pursue his doctorate
degree as soon as he graduates
with a master’s. He said he has
been looking at the University of
Oregon’s College of Education for
future doctorate studies.
“I want to hold that doctorate,”
said Herron. “I want to be a role
model for other Native American
students because that’s what I got
at PSU.”
great about his future and that
he can’t thank the members
of the Tribe’s Education staff
enough for all the help they
have given him in his pursuit
of higher education.
“I’m forever grateful,” said
Herron. “I never thought this
is where I would be five years
ago. I just wanted to do some-
thing to improve my life and
now I’m thinking on a much
larger scale.”
Herron wants to give back
to his Tribal community when
he completes his educational
goals.
“I want to improve life for my
Tribe,” said Herron. “I want to
improve life for Native Ameri-
can students. I want to do my
part. The seed of wanting to
make a difference in the world
and leave some sort of legacy is
growing and I’m happy about
that.”
One of the ways Herron will
leave a legacy at Portland
State is his two-year battle to
Courtesy photo by Tyler Bertram
have university officials allow
Tribal member Monty Herron is looking
Native American students to
to obtain a doctorate after obtaining
smudge in their on-campus
his master’s degree in education from
housing.
Herron said it was the Amer-
Portland State University.
ican Civil Liberties Union, its
attorneys and the fire marshal that
Herron will be in rare company
eventually came together to change
when he reaches his doctorate
the policy banning the smoke from
studies.
smudging.
According to Harp, the Tribe’s
“I took it upon myself to lead that
Continuing Education coordinator,
fight because I wasn’t doing it just
there are 51 Tribal members in ac-
for me,” said Herron. “I wanted to
tive graduate study programs — 24
do it so that every Native who goes
are attending school full-time and
to that school can do that, because
27 members are attending graduate
we have Natives from all over the
school on a part-time basis.
country that go to that school. I was
Harp said that when he started
hoping to make a difference.”
working for the Tribe’s Education
While attending Portland State,
program in 2002, there were only
Herron has established some life-
six members in graduate studies.
long relationships and learned from
Harp said that Herron is “doing
people he wants thank.
well.”
Herron singled out Drs. Cornel
“Education has always been a
Pewewardy and Brook Colley for
priority for Tribal Council,” said
helping him not only achieve his
Harp. “There has always been a
goals but in providing him with
shortage of Native teachers at ev-
the role models he hopes to one day
ery level so that anytime a Tribal
become.
member wants to go into education
Pewewardy is Kiowa and Coman-
it is always exciting for us because
che and an enrolled member of the
we’re hoping they can fill a spot
Comanche Nation of Oklahoma,
somewhere where young students
and is the director of and associate
can have access to a Native teacher.
professor of Native American Stud-
And that is the route that he is on
ies at Portland State.
right now. He’s a strong student.”
Colley, who earned her Ph.D. in
Tribal Education Director Leslie
Native American Studies from the
Riggs said no matter a potential
University of California at Davis, is
student’s age, the Tribal Education
an instructor in the university’s In-
program is ready to help.
digenous Nations Studies program.
“This is available to you so wher-
Herron’s goal to give back not
ever you are at in your life that can
only to the Tribe, but to Native
lead to a better quality of life,” said
students is in sight now.
Riggs.
“I think it is important for me to
Riggs said he is impressed with
say that I feel extremely blessed to
Herron for his efforts and proud of
be in a position now to help Natives
the Tribe for creating such an amal-
because that’s all I want to do,”
gam of educational opportunities.
said Herron. “Now that I get to
“I’m immensely proud,” said Riggs.
do that – I feel really blessed. I’m
“I feel very proud that first of all we
thankful and I’m grateful for all
have these programs that our Tribal
the Tribe has invested in me. Just
members can utilize and that then
saying thank you doesn’t begin to
when the Tribal members do utilize
scratch the surface of how much
them that they are having the kind
appreciation I have for my Tribe. I
of success that they are having.
just want anyone who reads this to
Being that we are in a position that
know that I do what I do because of
we can provide for our membership
the investment the Tribe has made
makes me immensely proud.”
in me. My love for this Tribe is so
Herron, who dresses down and
great.” n
dances at powwows, said he feels