Lindsay Belone

Indian Country is faced with many disparities, but in the midst of oppression, American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) are becoming leaders within their nations through education. I am among the few who broke through the barriers that exist on the reservation and I entered higher education. I was not alone in accomplishing my goals and had the help of my family, my spirituality, and my cultural identity as a Navajo woman. I envision Indian Country contributing to the economy of the United States’ economy by being producers, creating financially responsible individuals, and empowering more AI/AN students to enter higher education. For some, academia may not seem appealing but with knowledge comes power and with that power AI/AN are able to protect the tribal sovereignty that our ancestors fought so hard for. This is my story.

I come from a strong line of women and we proudly represent the Kinyaa’lanii Clan (Towering House Clan). My grandmother was a resilient woman and she would tell stories to serve as life lessons. Now my mother keeps these stories alive and constantly quotes my grandmother when I falter. My mother pushed me as a child to do better in school and study hard for the GRE. I’ll always remember her saying, “College is not an option” and “There is a world much bigger than the reservation.” When I was accepted into Arizona State University and then Washington University in St. Louis I could not have made my mother and my grandmothers more proud.

Washington University in St. Louis helped me develop a better understanding of my life
goals. At Wash-U I became interested in asset building and financial education within tribal communities. After graduate school I had the privilege of serving as a Wilma P. Mankiller Fellow at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in Washington DC. My supervisor at NCAI, Sherry Salway-Black, was a great mentor and a council member for the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans. With her I was able to attend meetings at the U.S. Department of Treasury and several conferences concerning financial education in the United States. At NCAI I was a part of a team who revitalized the Native Financial Education Coalition. After my time at NCAI I am still an advocate to increase financial capability in tribal communities, create more AI/AN
entrepreneurs and homeowners, and teach financial education to AI/AN youth.

Washington University has a diverse student population, and I’m glad to have made many friends from around the world. I discovered that the tools and methods used in my international development course with Carolyn Lesorogol could be applied to tribal communities. There are many similarities between tribal communities and rural communities around the world. It was Dr. Lesorogol’s course that sparked my interest in having an international experience. Currently, I live and work in Nishiizu-chou, Japan (located in the Shizuoka-ken prefecture), as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) through the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) program (a Japanese government program).

As an Assistant Language Teacher, I teach English to Japanese students in kindergarten through junior high school. The community I live in is small and is considered the “inaka” (rural community). My goals in Nishiizu-chou are to teach English, understand the Japanese education system, and immerse myself within the community. While working with the Nishiizu-chou Board of Education, I plan to have English classes for Japanese elders and aid in planning local festivals. Through my experiences, I have observed that Japan’s hierarchy system is similar to tribal governments which I saw at NCAI. I am
not the expert within this community, but rather I am here to learn from the community members and students and experience the Japanese culture.

I admire AI/AN who make academia their life career and I believe more of them are needed.  During my time in Washington DC I learned that political leaders and Congress are influenced by results, numbers, and facts before making a policy decisions. Because of this it has become another goal of mine to enter a PhD program and study behavioral economics and consumer sciences within tribal communities. I believe that AI/AN scholars need to be heard in a field that is dominated by non-Natives.  I want to apply research methods that are culturally-appropriate for the growth of economic development in Indian Country. The Kathryn M. Buder Center has helped me develop as an individual and see that education, research, and policy development impacts Indian Country. A’hee’hee.