Teresa Hernandez may not have planned to have her own science education business, but she is now the proud owner of Adventures in Living Science and enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge with area students. A scholarship from the CPN Department of Education helped Hernandez in her path to business ownership.
Best-selling writer, ecologist and professor Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ph.D., received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2022.
After 10 years working in foster care and adoption for tribal Indian Child Welfare departments, Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member Kendra Lowden accepted a position as a senior program associate at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work and Butler Institute for Families. She is also currently earning her Doctorate of Education from Southern Nazarene University.
Sly Alley, the author of Strong Medicine, is happy for the chance to share his Potawatomi heritage and culture with his fans during poetry readings, putting an Indigenous spin and unique perspective on the artform. Alley is currently working on his second book. As he completes new poems, he attends open mic events and poetry readings.
While listening to a podcast or talk radio program, the work seems easy — record, press play. However, the path to a product that presents itself as effortless and easy to digest takes teams of people on the same page with the same goal. Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member Devin Mellor has spent the last six years as an essential behind-the-scenes staff member at National Public Radio’s New York City bureau.
Creed Humphrey is a Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member and center for the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. At only 23 years old, the Peltier family descendant played his second season of professional football in 2022-23, ending with his first Super Bowl appearance on Feb. 12, 2023. He spoke with the Hownikan about his experience as a professional football player.
Two Potawatomi artists contributed their talents to a new song and music video, Speak Again. Inspired by Potawatomi author Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s 2013 best-selling book, Braiding Sweetgrass, the lyrics and video envision a future where Bodéwadmimwen is brought back to Potawatomi communities in a meaningful way.
The Kwek Society, founded in 2018 by CPN District 2 Legislator and humanitarian immigration lawyer Eva Marie Carney, is a nonprofit organization addressing period poverty in Indian Country. In 2022, the organization surpassed 1,000,000 supplies delivered, expanded partnerships and received notable media coverage of their work.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Department of Education selected Sarah Dunigan as the second recipient of the Michael John Kennedy Scholarship. She attends the University of Oklahoma in Norman and takes pride in three generations of relatives who served in the military throughout the 20th century.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member Jody Gzhadawsot (Helps Children) Mattena grew up learning to hunt, garden and gather as well as prepare and preserve foods from her grandfather and her mother. Now, she fulfills her dreams of cooking and educating through her BossLady Anish platforms and work with the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Food Sovereignty Department as a lifeways consultant. Most recently, her work practicing and educating about Indigenous foodways brought her to the headquarters of one of the largest and most recognizable global food companies — Kellogg’s.