Catch up on Sapsik’ʷałá in the community

Here we share how Sapsik’ʷałá faculty, current cohort members, and alumni bring their wisdom and expertise into their communities and the world.

Placing kinship traditions at the center of research with the Yakama Nation

October 2023 – “Michelle Jacob, professor of Indigenous studies and director of the Sapsik’ʷałá (Teacher) Education Program in the Department of Education Studies at the UO, has received an award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine how kinship, as practiced in Indigenous communities, can inform research and evaluation as practiced more broadly in the United States.

The basis of the project is a collection of Indigenous stories of the Yakama Peoples called Anakú Iwachá, which serves as a guide on being a “good relative.” Jacob proposes that such kinship practices can teach researchers how to conduct evaluations that honor the importance of community.” Read more here.

Leilani Sabzalian and Indigenous Education

October 2022: Hear from Co-Director Dr. Leilani Sabzalian in her interview with the Oregon Quarterly. Indigenous students deserve Indigenous teachers.

“Public schools don’t typically value the knowledge and culture of Indigenous youth,” Sabzalian says. “It’s vital that our students see their knowledge and culture as a source of strength before they become teachers.”

Sapsik’ʷałá Distinguished Elder Educator Dr. Virginia Beavert (Tuxámshish) turns 101

Oldest Yakama Nation elder turns 101, celebrates new book of Native legends

Yakama Nation elder Virginia Beavert celebrates new book and her 101st birthday

2022 MLK Commemoration and Awards Ceremony: Amplifying Voices for Racial Solidarity and Equity

Join us in celebrating our Sapsik’ʷałá Tribal Advisory Council as the 2022 UO Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Outstanding Community Partner Award Recipients.

‘More Than a Demographic’: The Important Work of Cultivating Native Teachers

Program alumni and faculty spoke about the incredible impact of the program in a new Education Week article. Read more here, and watch here.

Sapsik’ʷałá Distinguished Elder Educator Dr. Virginia Beavert (Tuxámshish) turns 100

Not only do these articles chronicle all the incredible work she does with Ichishkiin; Yakama stories, history, and literature; personal memoir; and teaching/mentorship, but also celebrate her 100th birthday.

Native linguist and Yakama elder Virginia Beavert turning 100

Yakama elder and linguist Virginia Beavert celebrates 100th birthday‘

Dr. Beavert sits for a portrait in her Toppenish, Washington home, Nov. 26, 2021

Native American Heritage Month: Education, Reflection, Accountability

Sapsik’ʷałá Alumni and 2021-22 Program GEs recognize Native American Heritage Month (NAHM) as a time for education, reflection, and accountability.

UO Today with Michelle M. Jacob

Michelle M. Jacob is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and Professor of Indigenous Studies and Director of the Sapsik’ʷałá (Teacher) Education Program in the Department of Education Studies at the University of Oregon. She also serves as affiliated faculty in the Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies, and affiliated faculty in the Environmental Studies Program.

Sapsik’ʷałá teacher education program celebrates 100 alumni

The program was founded on the idea that education strengthens Native communities. With the graduation of the 2021 cohort this spring, the Sapsikwala program will celebrate 104 alumni, 104 advocates for Native American education! https://around.uoregon.edu/content/sapsikwala-teacher-education-program-celebrates-100-alumni

2021 Cohort graduates

Alumni in the News:

A Native Teacher Works to Return to His Tribe

Logan Grasseth, assistant director of student services for the Bethel School District in Eugene, Ore., graduated from the University of Oregon’s Sapsik’ʷałá master’s program in 2014. In the second of a four-part video series, he discusses the impact the program has had on him and his community, and his dream of working for his tribe’s education department.

I Am Native American and a Teacher. That Matters to My Students

Valorie Spearman, dean of students at Creekside Community High School in Tigard, Ore., graduated from the University of Oregon’s Sapsik’ʷałá master’s program in 2004. Since then, she’s continued to work in the field, while returning to mentor students in the graduate program. In her current role as teacher and dean, she’s been able to show students that being Native and being an educator can go hand-in-hand.