Honor the Past. Be the Future.

When you thrive, we all thrive: Creating a model for Native American student success and support in STEM fields

Date:

Friday, October 5, 2018

Room/Location:

Room 18

Time:

10:30 am to 11:20 am

Session Track(s):

Educator

This session will cover two programs to assist Native student preparation and success in baccalaureate STEM programs. The first, the Native American Summer Mentorship Program (NASMP) provides an opportunity for Native students at a two-year campus to engage in hands-on learning in STEM fields in partnership with faculty and graduate students across multiple disciplines. The second, Mentoring and Encouraging Student Academic Success (MESAS), expand upon NASMP, using an innovative model for helping Native American students thrive in higher education settings by improving the transition of Native students into baccalaureate STEM programs. MESAS provides essential support, including strengthening academic preparation, lowering institutional barriers to success, and addressing the social and community needs of transitioning students, many of whom are often 400 miles or more from their homes. The MESAS Program also implements tools for student advocacy, improved residential life on campus, and cultural competency training of faculty and staff.

Speaker(s)

Melissa Tehee, J.D., Ph.D.

Cherokee Nation

Assistant Professor

Utah State University

Dr. Melissa Tehee is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She is an assistant professor at Utah State University in the Department of Psychology and Director of the American Indian Support Project. Dr. Tehee’s clinical and research interests are in addressing trauma across the lifespan. Her research has focused on bias/prejudice/racism, health disparities, and domestic violence and other trauma experienced by ethnic and racial minorities, especially American Indians. She earned dual degrees in Clinical Psychology, Policy, and Law (PhD./J.D.) with a certificate in Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy at the University of Arizona. Dr. Tehee has a Master of Science in Psychology from Western Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nebraska. Her interdisciplinary training allows her to consider the convergence of these topics with law and policy. Her other interests include multicultural competence and mentoring ethnic minority students in higher education.