Autumn, Cheyenne, is passionate about contributing to tribal communities and working toward increasing Native health initiatives.
I recently graduated with my Masters in social work and am beginning a PhD program in the fall. I will be pursuing a doctorate degree in social work and know firsthand the need for indigenous representation in academia. Social work is all about social justice and advocacy, which I believe that being an ambassador is the perfect avenue for advocacy. I have leadership experience, am confident in my ability to be a positive role model and representative, and one of my life goals is to be a voice for tribal communities.I am a proponent for sexual violence prevention and advocacy in order to change the victim blaming culture by focusing on education, bystander intervention, and affirmative consent. As a sexual assault survivor, I have witnessed first-hand the struggle to overcome adversity and the need to educate tribal communities as we are at a greater risk than the general population with 1 in 5 women being sexually assaulted whereas 1 in 3 indigenous women will be sexually assaulted. I also have major passions for mental health and higher education. I have worked the past 5 years within the realm of inpatient psych and have extensive knowledge of the myriad of presentations of mental health disorders. I am also passionate about sharing the value of higher education to others in my community. Most individuals see a bachelor’s degree as the end of the road, but I would like to encourage the pursuit of graduate and doctoral degrees. I am a leader and have extensive experience organizing and bringing individuals together. I believe that my leadership skills of organization, time management, and being future oriented will help me contribute greatly as an ambassador.
