ALYSSA CAMP

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I feel incredibly lucky to have been at the field school on Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River this summer. The perspectives gained, friendships made, and the skills that I learned were all uniquely invaluable. Being surrounded by passionate, generous, grateful, and intellectual people who are making changes for reservation communities was inspirational, to say the least. I loved hearing stories from the elders as well as listening to individuals talk about the positive changes they are making for their people. Working with Thunder Valley Community Development Corp., First Peoples Fund, and Cheyenne River Tribal Ventures meant that I was learning more about the specific problems that face Indian Country, discussing the initiatives that have been put forward to address such issues, and analyzing that impact they have on (and off) the reservation. Applying methods, ideologies, and knowledge gained from school to the real world and to real people was life changing and the overall experience really shaped a vision for my future career choices.