Welcome to the Summer 2021 issue of Winds of Change! There’s a lot of excitement around AISES these days as we plan for our in-person conference in Phoenix, coming up September 23–25. After the isolation we all experienced in 2020, it will be wonderful to gather the AISES family face-to-face for this unique interval of learning, networking, and charting exciting futures. Don’t miss this matchless opportunity to spend time “off screen” with Indigenous people in STEM — and attend the largest College and Career Fair in Indian Country. While this is an in-person conference, some signature events from the ballroom — like keynote addresses, opening and closing ceremonies, and selected sessions — will be streamed live.
As we move away from COVID and toward a place where life looks more normal, we can begin to get some perspective on the pandemic experience and its lessons. Our look at tribal health care is a snapshot of how some communities have fared and what they learned. Like Chief Lorraine Cobiness of Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation, who says the pandemic underscored the importance of sovereignty: “It has challenged us to look at all the systemic changes that we need to make. Being able to track our own data, ask our own questions, monitor who’s coming in and out of our community.”
I’m continually gratified to see what Indigenous people are accomplishing, how motivated they are to serve their communities, and how AISES is supporting them.
You can also learn more about the exciting field of robotics. Our Top STEM Jobs feature takes a look at some roles in this area that are growing in importance, along with academic programs that prepare students to succeed and some representative prospective employers. You can find more ways to chart your future in Career Builder and Paths in Education. Both sections have actionable ideas for next steps that will make a difference for students and aspiring professionals.
As always, the AISES Notebook section keeps you up to date on news of our organization as well as our members — an amazing group of people doing amazing things. I’m continually gratified to see what Indigenous people are accomplishing, how motivated they are to serve their communities, and how AISES is supporting them. You can get to know a few of these remarkable individuals in AISES People. One is Devon Parfait, future chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw Tribe of coastal Louisiana, whose lands are imperiled by erosion. Parfait is now a college senior studying geosciences so he can play a serious, science-based role in protecting his community. “I want to do things to benefit my family, my home, and the place and people I love,” he says. With your support, AISES will continue working to help him — and you — do just that.
Ta’ Tura Tsiksu (With Much Respect),
Sarah EchoHawkPawnee Nation of OklahomaAISES Chief Executive Officer