The Puzzle: Blog

Today we are thrilled to welcome Megan Red Shirt-Shaw to the blog.  Megan is the founder of Natives in America, an online literary publication featuring Native youth voices.  What follows is her interview with former classmate and current CS&A Placement Counselor Jamie Cohen.

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? Education, background, job history, current role, etc.?

My name is Megan Red Shirt-Shaw and I am an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux tribe. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011 with a degree in English (Creative Writing focus) and have been working in the undergraduate admissions field ever since. I am currently an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Santa Clara University in the Bay Area.

What is Natives in America and how did it come to be?

Natives In America is an online literary publication that features Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian youth voices and their stories. It launched at the beginning of this year and is an opportunity for young Native leaders across the country to share their stories through the written word. My mother is an author and has her PhD in American Indian studies, and my father has always worked as an amazing leader in undergraduate admissions, so higher education and the written word are a part of my fabric and make me who I am – the idea felt very personal and fulfilling to me.

From my (very basic) research, it seems like Natives in America has given young Natives an opportunity to have a voice – tell me about the emphasis on youth, and what the “mission” of Natives in America is.

Last fall I was really inspired by stories from Native youth in college and after seeing my sister attend a R%#skins protest here in the Bay Area, I realized I wanted to create a space that would consolidate their voices. Our mission is to battle stereotypes and empower Native youth by showing them who young leaders like them are within their own communities. The NIA writers are learning their languages, practicing ceremony, creating safe spaces for difficult dialogues, traveling and performing spoken word and hip-hop, running for titles, representing at the White House, launching clothing brands and movements – they are the future. It’s time for this country, their sacred land, to hear them.

Do you believe that Native American history is accurately portrayed in the K-12, independent school curriculum (“Independent” = charter, private, magnet, Montessori, etc.)? What about at the college level?

Absolutely not. I feel that every state should have a mandated section of its curriculum focused on learning about the tribal communities within its state lines as well as the community closest to wherever that school is based. I heard yesterday that the state of South Dakota is ridding its elementary education of early American history, which is mind-blowing to me when we, my community from SD, is still very active and makes up the greatest number of minorities in the entire state. On the higher education end, this morning was a great example. At the university where I work, I was invited by the President of the University and his leadership team to do a recognition of the land the university was built on, which I hope gave the undergraduate body a moment to think about the sacrifices our communities have made. These are the types of things that need to be more naturally built into our framework of mind

How do you feel about your high school education? Any perks or extra opportunities you found while attending the school you did?

I attended two different high schools: one in Connecticut and one in Arizona. To be honest, I felt my high school in Arizona was more in tune and understanding of Indigenous people, but that’s because I wasn’t the only Native student in the entire school. I definitely faced difficult and misunderstood situations and obviously neither experience was perfect — but the move helped me grow a lot, and I feel a deep love, especially to Arizona, for challenging my identity.

Any ideas for schools on how to hire and retain more faculty and staff that come from a Native background?

A major way that we are going to get more Native American students to be college-going and college-graduating is by letting them see role models who reflect their experiences as their teachers, counselors, mentors, and role models. This must be the driving force behind hiring Native faculty: not diversity quotas, but the idea that Native faculty will be able to guide Native students who need someone to share in their feelings.

As the driving force and founder of Natives in America, it seems like you have a major focus on education – can you tell me about some education initiatives you’d like to work on in the next couple of years?

We’d like to host a writers’ retreat for the Natives In America writers so we can brainstorm about these larger issues and see what each of their communities need and what we can do to help. These projects need to be addressed from the ground up, and I hope our team can help in making amazing things happen — which the writers are already naturally doing by being leaders themselves.

What are some other resources people can use to learn more about Native American education, or for those looking to get actively involved?

A few really great resources are the National Indian Education Association, which hosts a national conference annually, the Center for Native American Youth, and for high achieving college bound Native students: College Horizons.

Please feel free to leave a comment below. And if you are interested in learning more about issues of diversity and inclusion for people of all backgrounds, join us at our Second Annual Diversity Forum on January 30, 2016.

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