Banner photo: Sarah Peele conducts research with Sonia Ibarra. Photo by Sienna Reid
Wendy F. Smythe and Sonia Ibarra have been bringing students from Hydaburg to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society Conference (AISES) for years, and this year, students from Kake as well. Wendy Smythe, Ph.D, is Haida from Hydaburg. Her Haida name is K’ah Skaahluwaa, from the Xáadas clan of Sdast’ aas (Fish egg house).
She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth in the Departments of American Indian Studies and Earth & Environmental Science and has been bringing students to AISES for 11 years, and teaching students in Hydaburg for even longer.
“Wendy is kind, goofy, lovable, and has an incredible sense of humor, qualities that make her an excellent mentor for these students,” says Sonia. Wendy also founded the Geoscience Education Program in Hydaburg, which seeks to integrate Traditional Ecological Knowledge and geoscience education. This year at the AISES Conference, she was awarded Professional of the Year for the excellent work she has done to educate students and to promote Indigenous ways of knowing.
Sonia Ibarra is a Ph.D candidate completing her thesis on how expanding sea otter populations affect the harvest of customary and traditional (i.e subsistence) foods in SE Alaska. She is a mentor and scholar who is committed to decolonizing research by welcoming and working alongside community members to guide and conduct research that benefits tribal members’ homelands.
Under Wendy’s guidance and support, she has helped bring students in the communities she works to AISES. At the conference this year, she was inducted as a Sequoyah Fellow, sponsored by her longtime mentor Wendy Smythe. During the medaling ceremony two of her previous students, Joseph Hillaire and Sarah Peele, were nominated for a Sequoyah Fellowship. They will be honored with the award in 2020 at the next AISES conference.
The AISES conference is a one-of-kind event focused on personal, educational, professional, and workforce development. Attendees include American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and First Nations high school and college students, educators, professionals, tribal nations and tribal enterprises, universities, corporations, and government agencies.
At AISES it is clear that by weaving Indigenous and Western sciences, we can make pathways for a better world. Organizations like NASA, Boeing, and the Navajo Nation Division of Natural Resources are regular presenters and recruiters, showcasing cutting-edge scientific research and internship opportunities that tackle many environmental issues.
This year, there were 31 total sessions focused on STEM fields such as “NextGen STEM: Cultivating a Diverse STEM Workforce to Solve Global Challenges” and “Indigenous Perspectives in STEM: Exciting Careers in Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences”. In addition to learning about the latest in scientific endeavors through an indigenous lens, students have access to a career fair, internship, and scholarship opportunities, and many chances for networking and challenging themselves to get out of their comfort zone.
What is unique about AISES is that in addition to providing excellent professional opportunities, they invest in the personal and spiritual side of the students. “This conference tells you ‘This is exactly where you need to be. We accept you. We love you,’” says Sonia. Additionally, there are times designated each day for a “Heart to Heart with an Elder”, where participants can visit one-on-one with elders and receive love and guidance. During the Sequoyah fellow ceremony, elders say a prayer and sage the new fellows and welcome them into the AISES community.
The AISES conference is life-changing, affirming, and an extremely impactful event for the students of Kake and Hydaburg to attend. See their photos and read their reflections below:
“One memory that touched my heart was the opening of this conference that reminded me of home. It felt like it was one of my elders talking and sharing their traditions with our community. That’s when I knew I was with good people that care so much about our Native values.” – Taylor Vantrese (Kake), Kake City School District, high school senior
All of the conference attendees from Hydaburg and Kake gather with family members and mentors. From left to right: Lauren Smythe, Taylor Natkong, Danny Green, Maria Ibarra, Aliyah Trout, Shannon Gregory, Sarah Peele, Sonia Ibarra, Courtney James, Joseph Hillare, Taylor Vantrese, Debbie James
“The Sequoyah breakfast was really touching for me. To see Sonia be recognized for everything she has done was so heartwarming for me. She is paving the way for students like me and is such a great role model. Then for Wendy to nominate me to be a Seqouyah fellow made me realize I need to be more serious about being more of a role model and leader to others. On the trip to Fairbanks from Milwaukee I got to connect with a younger student from Hydaburg. I tried to ‘channel my inner Sonia’ when she opened up to me. I did not think that she thought of me as someone to get advice from, but when she did, I tried to give her the best advice I could.” – Sarah Peele (Hydaburg), University of Fairbanks, undergraduate junior.
Caption: On the left, Wendy poses with Sonia, whom she nominated for the Sequoyah Fellowship. On the right Judy Brown Clarke, Wendy’s mentor, poses with Lauren Smythe (Wendy’s daughter) whom she nominated to receive the Sequoyah Fellowship.
“Sonia Ibarra received the Sequoyah Award at AISES this year because she has invested a lot of time and effort so that she could mentor and support students as they go through their lives. As well as help cultivate an environment so that they can grow to be exceptional leaders that will shape tomorrow’s world. However, her time and attention isn’t just limited to students, she is in contact with her fellow AISES members and other people that are within her life. – Taylor Vantrese (Kake)
