Sarah Hicks Kastelic

I had the incredible fortune to be named a Kathryn M. Buder Scholar twice. From 1996-97, I was a MSW student in the social and economic development concentration.  From 2002-08, I was a student in the PhD program.

Not only did this scholarship position me as the first member of my family to seek a graduate degree, but it allowed me coursework and community service and practicum opportunities that were American Indian/Alaska Native specific. In the MSW program,
many in the cohort of Native students I went to school with became life-long friends. Today members of my cohort are members, donors, project partners, and board members of the National Indian Child Welfare Association—the national Native nonprofit I now lead. The teaching and mentorship of Kathryn M. Buder Center Director Dr. Eddie Brown first exposed me to federal Indian law and policy, the exercise of tribal self-determination in program design and service delivery, and a practicum opportunity at the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Tribal Services in Washington, DC. This exposure started me on a policy and research-oriented career path resulting in 13 years of policy and advocacy work at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

In the doctoral program, I gained research training and experience that positioned me to serve as the founding director of the NCAI Policy Research Center, a Native think tank focused on supporting tribal governments in shaping their own future. I also had the opportunity to refine and teach Dr. Brown’s American Indian Social Welfare Policy course to several cohorts of Buder Scholars and in various other social work programs across the country.

The education, experience, and relationships that the Buder scholarship afforded me clearly changed the trajectory of my career. Along the way, I have had the incredible opportunity to write and make presentations with Buder Scholars, serve as a practicum supervisor for Buder Scholars, and even hire Buder Scholars. I am deeply grateful for the gift of the Kathryn M. Buder scholarship that the Brown School at Washington University afforded me.