My dream is to start the first ever Indigenous Science lab at the Pine Ridge Girls School. This school has taught me so many traditional/cultural teachings and if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have got the opportunity to make my dream a reality. There were benefits of starting the indigenous lab at the Pine Ridge Girls School as well. The school’s academics were based off of Lakota teachings already, so it made it easier and it’s what inspired me for my dream. Also, we need more indigenous WOMEN in STEM. So, I feel as if this was all meant to be.

We decided we wanted to make an outside classroom as well even though it wasn’t in the original plan. But nature is an important part of indigenous science and we only thought it was appropriate. This classroom will hopefully pull some students interests to earth science. So, this classroom has benefits as well.

This opportunity was an uplifting and inspiring experience and I’m going to be forever grateful Running Strong thought I was a capable candidate although I am very young. They even provided workshops and I found out there were jobs I never even knew existed before I went there. This experience has been very eye opening and wish more people are able to get this opportunity, too.