Mii o'no Gidibaajimowininaanan
(These are our Stories):
Raising the Voices and Experiences of
Indigenous Students in Higher Education
Boozhoo/Aaniin (Hello/Greetings)!
I am incredibly honored you have found your way here to this page. This particular part of the project was completed as a fulfillment for the requirements for the Doctorate of Education, Student Affairs Administration and Leadership Program through the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. However, it is my hope that anybody working in systems of education or supporting Indigenous students in any way can hear these stories and realize there are many factors that inspire, encourage, influence, and support Indigenous students.
There are also many factors that challenge, inhibit and discourage Indigenous students. Unfortunately, most of these factors are not discussed on college campuses or other institutions that are supposed to support Indigenous students. I want to use this platform to begin to shed light on this topic, which is intertwined with narratives of history that are rarely heard, concepts of Indigenous culture that are thought to be long gone, and to finally give Indigenous students the spotlights we have long deserved to tell our stories, our dreams, and our successes.
Below are five storytelling sessions (interviews) with Indigenous College Students who discuss what inspired them to pursue a college degree and persist to graduation, what they would define as their successes in college, and what advice they would give those supporting Indigenous students - whether it is school staff, college employees and leaders, family or community members, friends, or college students themselves. I gave them the option of using their real names or any other ways they wished to be represented. Some of them chose to use their full names, some chose nicknames, and some chose to incorporate their Ojibwe (spiritual) name. I also gave storytellers the option of having their image shown with their sessions, and for personal or cultural reasons, two of them decided they were more comfortable simply having their voices heard. As a way to show respect to their decisions and to accompany their voices with a culturally-related visual image, I represented their stories with a picture of the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus medicine wheel that some of them referenced in their stories - a project that myself and White Earth Descendant and campus carpenter Ken R. designed and implemented as a way to have a culturally rooted place for people to gather on campus.
It is my goal to continue to add resources to this page help people dive deeper into the subject of Indigenous student support and uplifting Indigenous voices in educational settings. It is my hope that this is just the beginning of the conversation around the importance of highlighting and working toward better representation and support resources for Indigenous students around the country, regardless of age or location.
​
The photo above is of the graduation cap that I would wear to all commencement ceremonies as an Indigenous staff member and student. The top eagle feather was given to me by my parents and cultural mentor when I graduated with my first college degree. The bottom feather was gifted to me by the parents of a student that attended a college I worked at. It was a culturally traditional way to say thank you for taking care of their daughter while she was away from her family at school. Both of these gifts are tremendous honors that represent big responsibilities that I wear proudly for all to see.
​
Finally, if you are interested in reading more about these students; the history, necessity, implications, and recommendations for this work; and my own story as someone who supports Indigenous students and has nearly thirty years of being an Indigenous student myself, you can see the entire dissertation document by clicking here.(Link forthcoming!)
​
Additionally, make sure to click here for resources for Indigenous students, community, support staff, family, and friends.
Miigwech (Thank You).
​
-Kat Werchouski, Ed.D. (ABD)
Please note that all videos have closed captioning. Simply click the "CC" box in the video window.
Dillion K. is a proud member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. At the time of this storytelling session, Dillion was a student at the University of Wisconsin - Superior.
Dylan L. is a proud member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. At the time of his storytelling session, he was a student at the University of Wisconsin - Superior.
Genesis VW. is a proud member of the White Earth Band of Minnesota Ojibwe. At the time of her storytelling session, she was a student at the University of Wisconsin - Superior.
Jay B. is a proud member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. At the time of this storytelling session, he was a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin - Superior and a graduate student at Columbia College.
Jessica G S. is a proud member of the Boise Forte Band of Minnesota Ojibwe and has tribal community affiliations with the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. At the time of this storytelling session, she was a recent graduate of the
University of Wisconsin - Superior and a graduate student at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
About the Author/Researcher
Katrina “Kat” Werchouski is a proud member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, with ties to the Leech Lake and Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe tribes as well as the state of Jalisco, Mexico. She currently serves as an Equity and Inclusion Education and Training Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Human Services in the Office for Equity and Inclusion and as Senior Partner and Senior Consultant for Peak Perspectives LLC. Prior to this job, she was the Diversity and Inclusion Manager for the American Academy of Neurology, the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Senior Diversity Officer at the University of Wisconsin - Superior and the Director of the Indigenous Cultures Center at Northland College. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Studies (Environmental Public Law and Policy) and B.A. in Native American Studies from Northland College and her M.S. in Environmental Studies (Written Communications) from Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont. Kat is finishing the final stages of being a doctoral student at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Her personal and professional interests intersect in many ways, but most prominently in wanting to educate others about Indigenous cultures, historic and contemporary gender roles and identities, overcoming the challenges and expectations of students from minoritized populations in education, encouraging self-reflection to be more inclusive toward others, and strengthening leadership roles through traditional cultural teachings. She strives to provide spaces where everyone feels safe and welcome to share, learn, and grow from diverse experiences and backgrounds. When she is not doing this, she can be found exploring the beautiful woods and southern shores of Lake Superior, spending time with loved ones, laughing, listening to music, or spending time with her adventure human. She wants to make the generations before and after her proud, and to pave paths for the next generations of Indigenous students including her great niece Elizabeth "Bitty" Anne, pictured with Kat at her Doctoral hooding and commencement ceremony at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse in the photo below.
