NASW-CA Native American Birdwoman Scholarships

The NASW California chapter Native American
Birdwoman Scholarship is a monetary
grant awarded to master’s or bachelor’s social
work degree candidates who have demonstrated
a commitment to working with, or who have a special affinity with, American Indian/Alaska Native populations, or in public and voluntary nonprofit agency settings.

This is a statewide scholarship that is similar to the Gosnell Scholarship that is offered at a national level. For the 2014-15 academic year, 9 scholarships worth $1,000 each were awarded.

Congratulations to the following scholarship recipients:

Hannah Barrett
Elaine Brown
Silver Galleto
Christina Harrison
Carly Kohler
Virgil Rambeau
Letha Reng
Angela Sundberg
Cyndee Waller

Here the bios of some of the recipients:

Hannah Barrett
Thank you choosing me to be the recipient of the Native American Social Work Student Scholarship. It is an honor to represent my heritage. I plan to use the funds to purchase a laptop in order to become a more efficient student.

I am the youngest of eight and the first to go to college in my family. I am now the first to participate in a master’s program. My desire to pursue a master’s degree in social work stems from college volunteer work with marginalized populations such as the homeless, elderly and at-risk youth.

In addition my personal experiences have allowed me to see firsthand the kind of care and vital services social workers provide. I grew up with a sister diagnosed with bipolar disorder, witnessed my parents adopt my nieces and, years later with the death of my mother, took over the care of my nieces. My personal experiences with the social work field has given me desire and reason to become a social worker myself in order to provide the same healing, support and hope that I received.

Elaine Brown
It has always been my passion to work for my culture. As a Native American from the Navajo (Dine) nation, I believe that we, as a people, need to be educated in order to empower one another and rise above the stereotypes that have been placed on us throughout the generations. I have a passion for serving populations who are struggling with adversity and who are overcoming barriers in their life. I am very motivated to help individuals and find it very satisfying when a person realizes their potential to make successful changes in their life. I attempt to assist individuals in recognizing their strengths.

A key facet of social work is assisting and enhancing the needs of an individual which in turn encourages the well-being of society as a whole. One of the social worker’s core values is social justice. Social justice is achieved by providing people who are vulnerable or oppressed essential information and services to improve their quality of life. In order for social justice to be attained, social workers must utilize social organizations available and also hold them accountable. Likewise, a vital value is to uphold, as a social worker is to provide service to others using our knowledge, skills and experiences.

Silver Galleto
I am so thankful to be awarded the NASW-CA Native American Student Social Work Scholarship!  My name is Silver Galleto, Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok.  I am currently enrolled in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program emphasizing Native American communities at Humboldt State University.  Currently I am the vice chairman of the Cloverdale Rancheria, and chairman of the Sonoma County Indian Health Project.  I have been serving my tribal government and tribal health program for the last 11 years, and love working within our Indian community.  I just began interning at the Indian Child and Family Preservation Program and am excited to continue serving our Indian community, specifically our Indian children.  Yah wii.        

Christina Harrison
Life was difficult as a mixed blood child in a Native American family that distrusted non-Natives and the American system. We mostly lived in urban areas. The Rancheria was dissolved when my father was a youth. My family stuck together as if we were a tribe. Despite a strong work ethic, the whole family, 30 people from three generations — mostly children — shared poverty. My dad was the only one of his siblings to graduate college. This raised his income, which he then shared with the rest of our family. Rarely our family unit did not live within a short drive/walk from each other. We relied on each other heavily for child rearing, financial stability, meals, clothing and other basic needs.

My life experiences with racism, poverty, lateral oppression, cultural genocide, historical trauma, substance abuse, child abuse/neglect, tribal politics, the welfare system, and social policy all contribute heavily to my desire to be a social worker. I understand that no one person can save the world. My goal is to plant seeds from the bottom and tend the garden at the top; helping as many people possible grow a better future for Native people and society as a whole.

Carly Kohler
I became interested in social work at 16 years old after working with foster children living at St. Vincent’s School for Boys, a residential treatment center, where I was a horse assistant for the quinine therapy program.

I originally wanted to be a veterinarian and major in biology, but once I attended Stanford University, I decided to major in psychology. Being of the Hupa, Yurok and Karuk tribes and the daughter of a social worker, I wanted to choose a profession that would allow me to give back to my community.

I’ve worked with Native youth from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for two years. My future goals include working as a Child Protective Services worker as well as collaborating with ICWA workers and working with tribes. I also want to work with families on building healthy attachments and help children have reaffirming relationships with adults in their lives.

As a second year Title IV-E student, in the San Francisco State University Master of Social Work program, I am currently an intern for San Mateo County Human Services.

Letha Reng
I am a BSW student at California State University Chico. I am a 37-year-old mother of two boys ages 14 and 19. I am a member of Cherokee Nation and pleased to represent an under-represented population. I was not raised in a family that was connected with my Native American culture, but I hope to connect to my heritage.  I am a first-generation college student, and my parents did not graduate high school. I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for about 14 years but wanted to further my education. I decided to become a social worker because I have been through many hardships in my life. I want to put my life experiences to use and help people who have been through similar situations. I am especially interested in working with women who have been abused and the systems designed to continue the abuse even after they get out.   

Cyndee Waller
I remember back in high school describing the types of things I would like to do for a job. I wanted to be a counselor, not even knowing exactly what it was called at that time. I was told it was a clinical social worker with a bachelor’s degree.  A lot has changed over the last couple of decades. At this time it will require me to be at a master’s level. Being able to start college at the age of 36 has been a dream come true for me. I believe I was created to be a social worker. It is just who I am deep into my bones—my calling in life. I feel no greater joy than when I am able to empower someone to make their own life better in some way.