News
AISES Recipient of 2012 Yawa' Award from San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
March 27, 2012. AISES was honored to be among four nonprofit organizations recognized by The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians at its fourth annual "Forging Hope" Luncheon. Read about the event and the award here.
This Year's AISES Chapter Award Recipients
AISES recognizes its chapters for excellence in the areas of fundraising and marketing, recruitment and retention, outreach and community service and professional and chapter development. Each category award recipient receives a $500 cash award to support Chapter efforts. All college chapters applying for an AISES chapter award are eligible for selection as the AISES Stelvio J. Zanin Chapter of the Year. Mr Zanin was an IBM Engineer whose outstanding contributions to AISES exemplified the highest principles of the organization. It’s an honor presented for overall achievement by a college chapter in the promotions of AISES principles and goals.
Professional & Chapter Development Award, was awarded to the University of Alaska Fairbanks AISES Chapter. This winning chapter conducts regular meetings every other Thursday throughout the year, where they facilitate exposure and interaction with a fascinating variety of presenters from different STEM fields of research, employment and graduate education.
The Outreach and Community Service Chapter Award was awarded to the Portland State University AISES Chapter. The key to this chapter’s outreach success is inclusive participation with both the native and non-native community in open events and community service.
The Recruitment/Retention Chapter Award was awarded to the San Juan College AISES Chapter. This chapter went from nine members to Twenty-two and stayed consistent throughout the year by keeping their members involved in various activities and events.
Our most prestigious award for overall achievement by a college chapter is the Stelvio J. Zanin Distinguished Chapter of the Year. This year’s honor was awarded to the San Juan College AISES Chapter.
Congratulations to all the awardees for all your hard work and for exemplifying the AISES' mission!
White House Selects Jemez Pueblo Teen as “Native American Youth Champion of Change”
The White House has selected Emmet Trevor Yepa, Jr., a proud tribal member of the Pueblo of Jemez in New Mexico, as a "Native American Youth Champion of Change" - part of President Obama's, Winning The Future initiative.
The White House launched a Native American Youth Challenge in early July of 2011. Young people across Indian Country have been answering the President’s call to submit their stories of leadership and service in their communities. As a part of the challenge, a handful of exceptional Native youth community leaders have been selected and invited to the White House on December 1 & 2, 2011 in conjunction with activities of Native American heritage month. Emmet received his confirmation email on Tuesday, November 15th. They were pleased with his exceptional motivation to continue to help his community. For the challenge, Emmet submitted the following letter to the White House:
“Greetings, President Obama, my name is Emmet Yepa, I’m 17 years old and a citizen of Jemez Pueblo. The Pueblo of Jemez is a federally recognized tribe with approximately 3,500 tribal members who reside in a village known as “Walatowa”. We are the only Towa speaking tribe in the world.
The world’s environmental issues have changed drastically over the past 100 years. These issues concern me; I want to find solutions to educate my people and future generations about the importance of recycling. Creating the program took a lot of courage and leadership because there had never been a recycling program in my Pueblo before. The Walatowa Green Stars Recycling Group was formed in 2010 and consists of 4 youth members. Getting approval through the Tribal Government was a tedious process. Having the motivation to succeed helped me overcome these barriers; I’m determined to preserve and keep our ancestral lands beautiful. Our first attempt at recycling for our annual Pueblo feast day turned out to be a great success: I was able to achieve my goal. I knew my people appreciated it and it made me believe in myself and strive for my ultimate goal. Since 2010, Walatowa Green Stars had been recognized with numerous awards and given opportunities to speak at local and national conferences. The Green Stars educate students at local schools and have implemented recycling bins in designated areas within our Pueblo. My ultimate goal is for my tribe to eventually have its very own Recycling Center.”
Emmet and other Native American Youth Leaders committed to serving their community will be honored at the ‘Champions of Change’ event on Thursday, December 1, 2011 at the White House. He is also invited and highly encouraged to attend the 2011 White House Tribal Nations Conference on December 2, 2011 at the Department of the Interior where President Obama will address tribal leaders.
Emmet is the embodiment of a “Champion of Change” and we look forward to hearing about his many successes in the future. On behalf of the whole AISES family: Congratulations Emmet!
AISES Founder Jerry Elliott honored by Oklahoma AARP
Jerry Elliott, one of AISES’ founders, has been selected as one of AARP Oklahoma’s 2011 Indian Elder Honorees. As part of AARP’s ongoing Indian Diversity project, the Oklahoma chapter recognizes 50 Indian Elders from all walks of life for their outstanding achievements/contributions to their tribe, community and/or state. This is the third year of the AARP Oklahoma Indian Elder Honors. They seek to recognize at least one person from every tribe in Oklahoma. Mr. Elliott was honored on Tuesday, October 4, at a special medallion presentation dinner at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Congratulations, Jerry!
Other News in STEM
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Bridging American Indian students' scientific achievement gap - Read about AISES Member Michael Ceballos
A New Webpage for the Native American Community