As the annual Potawatomi Leadership Program drew to its close, the participants reflected on what they learned throughout their six weeks with Citizen Potawatomi Nation and encouraged other Potawatomi youth to apply for next year’s program.
Rachel Watson, CPN Department of Education Senior College Advisor, offers advice to students applying to The Gates Scholarship. Watson encourages students to start their application early, be themselves, display their passions and achievements, and to ask for help from mentors, teachers or the Department of Education.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Department of Education unveiled a new program this spring designed to help CPN students fully embrace their Potawatomi heritage. The first-ever Coming Into the Circle event was designed to encourage high school graduates to claim their Indigenous identity and help them feel they belong to a bigger community.
This month 20 years ago, Citizen Potawatomi Nation welcomed the first group of students to participate in the Potawatomi Leadership Program. Brittany Destree Dek was 17 years old in 2003 and participated in the PLP between her junior and senior years of high school. The Bertrand family descendant reflects on her experience as one of the first students to benefit from the program.
One of the most anticipated parts of the Potawatomi Leadership Program is a reception at which the participants present the special projects they created that include programs, services or enterprises they envision for the Nation’s future. Read about this year’s projects and participant reflections.
The annual CPN Department of Education Graduation Celebration welcomes graduates of various degree programs and their families back to the CPN Cultural Heritage Center for a meal, gifts, drumming and celebration. The department cherishes the opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of Tribal members and scholarship recipients, and to connect graduates with their Tribe.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation Potawatomi Leadership Program brings together a cohort of eight to 10 young Tribal members for a six-week summer internship designed to help students discover meaningful connections with their family and history. This year’s PLP is scheduled for Friday, June 10, 2022, to Saturday, July 23, 2022. Applications are open through April 1, 2022, at plp.potawatomi.org.
Youth programs during summer 2021 provided an opportunity for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation to purchase and place trail cameras across its jurisdiction. The images help connect students to Mother Nature and open dialogue around conservation and land stewardship. The Nation now extends access to trail camera images through potawatomiheritage.com.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation awarded the first Michael John Kennedy Scholarship to University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior Jozie Arenz in fall 2021. Open to college juniors and seniors, the scholarship welcomes children and grandchildren of veterans to apply.
Tribal member enjoys a rewarding career in forestry, with help from the CPN Department of Education and the BIA Pathways Program.