Eva Krukowski

This is a photo of me taken at the Mother’s Day PowWow at UO in May 2023. I am the person in the middle of the photo receiving the blanket. On the first night of the PowWow, seniors and graduates who are a part of the Native American Student Unions are honored with a native-made blanket as a graduation gift.

Degree: BS in Planning, Public Policy and Management

Expected Graduation Date: Fall 2023

2023 Scholarship
PGE Illumination Scholarship

I Am Originally From San Francisco, CA

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I chose the University of Oregon because I wanted to live in Oregon and I was very intrigued by the Planning, Public Policy and Management (PPPM) program. I had not found a public policy program at any other college or university that felt like it would prepare me for work in the public sector in the way that UO does.

I worked a lot on political campaigns which sparked my interest in policy. I realized that I loved talking about policy and how it impacts people’s lives and the environment, so I wanted to pursue a degree where I could talk and read about policy all day.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
Before coming to UO, I worked on political campaigns for many years after graduating high school. I worked almost every campaign cycle from 2016-2021, either as a volunteer or paid staff member. I also did some odd jobs like working as a wedding and events coordinator for an Inn in Upstate New York. I worked on many farms on the East Coast/New England. I also worked  worked in child care.

I studied at Bennington College in Vermont for two years before I realized that liberal arts was not my academic path. I worked for three years before I started school again at Lane Community College in 2021. Then I transfered to UO in 2022 and started my degree in PPPM. I knew through that time that I wanted to work in policy and find a way to incorporate my passion for public land, indigenous rights, equity, and parks management. PPPM could not align more with these values.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
Professor Rebecca Lewis has really made an impact on me. She sparked my interest in city planning and helped me see how important planning is when it comes to implementing policies that impact everyone. I learned a lot about how to compare state-wide planning goals and analyze how they trickle down to the local level. I also learned how to choose housing policies to recommend to different cities based on their housing needs and population data.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am most involved in the Native American Student Union (NASU) and events at the Many Nations Longhouse. I volunteered at the Mother’s Day PowWow and at Fry Bread Sales. I have attended lectures at the Longhouse to learn more about my indigenous heritage and the role that indigeneity plays in higher education/research. I have attended SCO events and one “Ducks in the Public Square” event. These events have been nice to get to know people in my department and network with professionals in Eugene.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
The greatest learning experience that I’ve had at UO so far is fresh on my mind. I attended a Master’s students presentation on research at the Many Nations Longhouse in spring 2023. A grad student in Department of Landscape Architecture presented her research  on how the design of UO campus could be revolutionized to incorporate indigenous design. Not only did she study indigenous landscape design, but also Indigenous research methods. It was so inspiring to listen to her describe her practice of indigenous design, and how processes in academia could be reimagined in a de-colonial way. While this might sound impossible or just performative, indigenous research practice is actually implementable as long as people who are impacted by the research are invited into the research process as active participants. It is process-based rather than product-based. This methodology can be implemented into the way policies are crafted and buildings are approved.

AFTER GRADUATION
After graduation, I want to work in the public sector. My greatest hope would be to work in parks management or planning (county, state, or possibly federal level). I’d like to work in some capacity where I can incorporate indigenous land stewardship practices into public land management standards, and oversee events at parks, particularly festivals or educational programs. I could also see myself working as a local planner (current or long-range). I could see myself working for the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD).

YOUR GIFT
Thank you so much this scholarship. It means so much to know that my academic rigor is acknowledged by someone other than myself. This scholarship will help me focus on my studies in the Fall term rather than worrying about how to pay rent and buy groceries. This scholarship will mean that I can take on smaller student loans and help me plan better financially post-grad. This scholarship is just the push I need to finish strong in my last term at UO.

Thank you so much for honoring me with this scholarship. It means a lot to know that I am doing this work for more people than just myself. I am doing this work to make the State of Oregon a better place to live. I plan to make an impact on the lives of Oregonians and this scholarship is contributing to this impact.