“The powwow is a chance for Augsburg’s indigenous students to share the traditions and culture of our peoples with the community,” said Jennifer Simon, event organizer and director of Augsburg’s American Indian Student Services.

“It also is an important opportunity for our community to celebrate the educational accomplishments of our native students and to plant the seed in young people that education can be part of their futures. This year’s program includes a special ceremony to honor our largest group to date of graduating native students.”

The powwow, which runs from 1-9 p.m., March 31 at Si Melby gymnasium, is cohosted by Augsburg’s American Indian Student Services and Indigenous Student Association. The event includes food concessions, arts and crafts vendors, and informational tabling about Augsburg’s educational opportunities and services for native students of all ages. One program specially designed for native learners is Naadamaadiwin, an online tribal program for native teachers to earn a Minnesota Special Education teaching license or Master of Arts in Education. The College also offers an undergraduate major in American Indian studies.

Registration for drums and dancers starts at 11 a.m., and there is no pre-registration allowed. Grand entries are at 1 and 6 p.m. At 3 p.m., 15 American Indian graduates from Augsburg will be honored.

To learn more about Naadamaadiwin, attend an information session at Augsburg from 6-7 p.m. on April 18 or May 23 at Oren Gateway Center. Questions can be directed to Sophia J. Jacobson at 612-330-1458.

The post Powwow to celebrate traditions, cultures, accomplishments of Native American students appeared first on News and Media.

A 2007 Augsburg graduate who studied English, art history, and German, Oliver has worked as a staff member at Augsburg but has wanted to explore a career teaching or advising students. “I think I have known for a really long time that education was going to be my path, I just didn’t really know in what capacity.”

After graduation, Oliver began working in the student financial service center at Augsburg and began her master’s program shortly thereafter. She says the MAE program allowed her to pursue a career in education and eventually led her to apply for the Fulbright teaching award.

“Teaching abroad has always been an aspiration of mine,” she says. Growing up in a multicultural family—her mother is Croatian and her brother was born in Germany—Oliver was always interested in people of different cultures. She traveled to Thailand as an undergraduate student to teach English with professor Kathy Swanson on a faculty-led summer program and also spent time abroad with family after college. “It felt like I was sort of destined to do this eventually.”

Oliver feels like the Fulbright teaching opportunity has come at the perfect time. “I am at the point of finishing my master’s and figuring out what I want to do. This may open doors for me in areas where I am passionate,” she says.

While she appreciates the recognition that goes with receiving the Fulbright scholarship, Oliver wants to give accolades to Dixie Shafter and Andrea Sanow of Augsburg’s URGO office for their work in assisting with the Fulbright application. “I feel like they went through revision after revision maybe 500 times with me,” she says. Year-round the pair coach students in applying for awards, fellowships, scholarships, and to graduate school.

“This is something to be celebrated by all of Augsburg,” Oliver adds. “A lot of my growth has happened here, and that has led me to be a Fulbright Scholar. It’s due to Augsburg’s work as well as my own.”

Read more about Jennifer’s experiences on her blog, .

The post Another Fulbright Scholar heads to Germany appeared first on News and Media.

Ashley, a St. Paul native, began working with Admission Possible this summer as a program coordinator. In this role, Ashley supervises six AmeriCorps members, known as Admission Possible coaches, who assist students in three St. Paul area high schools — Arlington High School, Highland Park High School, and Community of Peace Academy. The coaches work with juniors and seniors on ACT preparation and assist with applications for admission, financial aid, and scholarships.

Her passion about achieving equality in education and providing equal access to higher education drew Ashley to Admission Possible. “Some kids have no idea that college is even an option for them, and some want to go to college but have no idea how to navigate the application process,” Ashley said. Admission Possible has made college a reality for many students.

Access to higher education is important to Ashley because she sees it as a way to tighten the racial and socioeconomic gaps in academic achievement and to address the lack of diversity on college campuses. She says she is both angered and saddened by the fact that she is often been the only person of color in many of her college courses. “Until all students have equal access to resources including higher education, I believe the achievement gap will persist,” Ashley said. “Everyone has the right to pursue an education, and I am dedicated to making that process more inclusive.”

Ashley plans to complete her graduate program in 2009 and is interested in a career in educational policy. At Augsburg, Ashley said she has learned the importance of culturally responsive teaching, creating inclusive learning environments, and accommodating learners with special needs. These lessons, she believes, will help guide her work at Admission Possible and as a future policy-maker.

Admission Possible is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping promising low-income high school students prepare for and earn admission to college. Admission Possible works to make college possible by providing their students with ACT and SAT test preparation, intensive assistance with college applications, help in applying for financial aid, and guidance in the transition to college. Admission Possible currently serves 1,300 students at 17 high schools in the metro area, and has helped 98 percent of its students earn admission to college since its founding in 2000.

The newest Augsburg staff members who have made the journey from AP to Augsburg are Justin Nash, an undergraduate admissions counselor, Andy Haug and Steve Fenster in the Enrollment Center, and Kelly Strang, the new Luther Hall director. All four finished their terms of service in June and were quickly hired by Augsburg. Janet Bertok, another undergraduate admissions counselor and Michele Kidwell, Augsburg’s director of retention, were also involved with Admission Possible through the AmeriCorps program. Watch for their stories in an upcoming feature.

The post Creating a bridge — Admission Possible and Augsburg College appeared first on News and Media.