Welcome to the Summer 2020 issue of Winds of Change! With the pandemic disrupting our personal, professional, and academic lives, this has been a season of momentous change for all of us. Here at AISES our first response was to implement sensible precautions to protect our hardworking staff and ensure that the organization continues to move forward. I’m confident we have done that.
One of the first measures we took to sustain and advance our mission was to launch a rapid response fund for our students who were left in sudden need. With the abrupt closing of their schools, these vulnerable young people lost not only access to face-to-face instruction and interaction with faculty and mentors, they lost housing, meal plans, and income from campus jobs. The AISES Together Towards Tomorrow (T3) Fund, has responded with a one-time payment to more than 120 students. (To support AISES and the T3 Fund visit aises.org.) Read the personal story of one of them, Wanda Jimmie of Navajo Technical University, who spoke for so many when she said, “When the campus closed, everything changed.”
One of the first measures we took to sustain and advance our mission was to launch a rapid response fund for our students who were left in sudden need.
You’ll also find pandemic coverage in the feature article COVID-19 and Indian Country, which looks at how individuals and communities are responding. One person on the front lines is nurse Mechem Frashier of Albuquerque, N.M., who has helped take a mobile testing unit to Pueblo communities. As she puts it, “Being Native ourselves and able to provide this service is important to us because we understand the lack of resources out there in Indian Country.”
This summer issue also has our annual feature on top STEM jobs, showcasing roles that promise career growth. This year the focus is on positions in cybersecurity, a burgeoning field that encompasses many paths in computer science. You can read more here.
Don’t miss my favorite part of each issue, AISES People, where we get a chance to meet individual members and learn about their dreams and accomplishments. Here Lincoln End of Horn, a pre-college student who attended the Leadership Summit in February, talks about his experience at this event — the first time it was open to high school students. “At this conference, I felt able to express myself and my heritage without fear of backlash from anybody,” he says. “It showed me that there are people who accept me for me, who embrace my culture and identity.”
At AISES we will continue creating safe places for Indigenous people at all stages on their STEM paths to grow, flourish, and embrace each other’s culture and identity. Thank you for helping us make this possible.
Ta’Tura Tsiksu (With Much Respect),
Sarah EchoHawkPawnee Nation of OklahomaAISES Chief Executive Officer