When I decided to attend Michigan Tech, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had transferred from Bay Mills Community College (BMCC), which is a tribal college located on an Indian reservation. At Bay Mills, the majority of the students, teachers, and staff were Native American and incorporated their Native traditions into the curriculum. After earning two associates, I transferred to Michigan Tech because I wanted to stay in the U.P.

When I transferred to MTU, I was in total culture shock. From Bay Mills, I was used to a large Native population and very small classes. At Bay Mills, most of my classes had about 10 students, with one class that had 20 students. At Michigan Tech, I found myself as one of the few, if only, minority students in large classes.

My father is from the Sault Sainte Marie Ojibwe Tribe and is also Polish. My mother is also Indian and Caucasian, but her tribe is unknown. In my town, people would always ask us if we were Indian when we were little, which I think is funny because I don’t think that I look Indian. I have light skin and hazel eyes, compared to my mom and sister that have darker eyes and skin. I mainly identify myself as Ojibwe and Polish because I had some great mentors in the family and community who taught me many things about my dual heritage. There were a few Native ladies in the community that took me under their wings and introduced me to some of my Native culture, such as powwows. I have been attending Native American powwows since I was a kid.

My Polish grandma tried to teach me about her heritage too when I visited her, but the visits were not frequent enough to learn that much about it. So, I was more exposed to my Native culture than my Polish culture.