Southern California Tribal Education Institute announces the offering of the 2011-2012 Christopher B. Duro Graduate Fellowship

The pursuit of educational excellence serves as the basis for the Southern California Tribal Education Institute (SCTEI). The Southern California Tribal Education Institute has announced the award of 2011 Christopher B. Duro

fellowships to five amazing indigenous students working in various academic arenas.

Emma Elliott is honored to represent Cowichan Tribes on Vancouver Island, British Colombia. She is continuing her research at the University of Washington in the documentation of the loss and retention of indigenous languages. Her cultural, economic and educational experiences have prepared her for the task of exploring cross-cultural relationships, issues and identity while giving voice to underrepresented communities. Research as a means to achieve social, economic, and political goals is vital for her as she strives to make a difference in indigenous

communities.

Leon Peralto is Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) from Wai!kea Uka in Hilo, Hawai"i. Leon received his B.A from Stanford University and will be pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Hawai"i at M!noa in Hawaiian Studies, his goal is to deepen his knowledge of the history, culture, and language of his people, so as to better prepare himself to serve the community and "!ina (land and sea) from which he was born.

Connie L. FileSteel is a member of the White Clay and Assiniboine Tribes of Montana. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree at Penn State University in Educational Leadership, with a research emphasis in Tribal Control of Indian Education. Connie has a strong desire to attain systemic reformation improvements within American Indian Education through leadership, research-related work, and advocacy on a state and national level.

Standing Bear (Brad) Kroupa is currently working towards his doctorate in Socio-Cultural Anthropology (major), History of Education (minor) and Native American and indigenous Studies (minor) at Indiana University. His research interests include: cultural history, cultural change and continuity, and Native education. Kroupa is also a language activist who is taking on the work of revitalization in a critically endangered language community. He has assisted and directed several language workshops for the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara.

Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) is a third year doctoral student in Culture, Communities, and Education at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on college access for Native (American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian) students and the role of pre-college access programs in student success, with the ultimate goal of increasing educational outcomes for Native students. She is also interested in the impact of cultural appropriation and stereotypical representations of Native peoples in everyday life.

“As Native peoples we have the responsibility to look towards the future while remembering the past. We respect the many sacrifices that have been made for our survival and the advancement of our communities. One of our greatest responsibilities is educating ourselves and securing a promising future for generations to come. As a Native graduate student I have been blessed with the opportunity to make these fellowships possible. It is my belief that we (as Native students) have an obligation to give back to our communities and these fellowships are my attempt to help those that are willing to help themselves. And it is through education that we can make our communities stronger. I am very proud of the four fellows that have been chosen for the fellowship. I know that all four will take great honor in continuing their education and research that is vital to indigenous communities” said Christopher Duro, Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student in Linguistics. He is the sole funder and Chief Executive Officer of the Southern California Tribal Education Institute.

For more information about the Christopher B. Duro fellowship or the Southern California Tribal Education Institute (SCTEI), please visit the website at http://www.sctei.org