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So my name is Beth. Um, I am a PhD student in anthropology at American University. Um, I got plugged into this project because Doctor Amanda

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Taylor is really leading the effort, um, to have these oral history interviews with WINS alumni. Um, and she needed someone to conduct the interviews. And so, um, I got plugged in that way.

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Um, I have been chatting with a good bit of people. It's been really awesome to learn more about the program and people's experiences. Um, so I'm excited to learn more

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from you. Um, and yeah, I'll definitely be involved throughout the interview process, regardless of if I stay involved in the fall, I will certainly follow up with all the

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interviewees. Um, once the interviews are completed, just let you guys know, um, you know, we finished the interviews and we'll stay in touch.

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Of course, I'll kind of go with Doctor Amanda Taylor in case you have questions for her as well. Um, and then let you know if I'll be staying on the project or if it looks like maybe I might be, um,

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moving off. The only reason I really would be is because there's potential that I'll have a full time role, um, conflicting with the the project.

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So anyway, just logistically, it might not be staying on, but we'll certainly make sure that you all have a contact. Okay.

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Um, do you have any questions for me before we get started? I don't think so. Um, I've done a couple other kind of PhD work interview type stuff, so it's usually the same.

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Just different topics. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Um, well, this can certainly be

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pretty casual. Um, the goal of this research is to preserve the impact of winds, um, through winds, alumni. And so, um, that could end up in a variety of forms.

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You know, it could be connecting you guys with alumni. It could be a workshop, it could be a multitude of things. And so I don't we don't really know where the project is headed yet, but certainly, um, are enjoying doing the interviews and

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kind of figuring that out along the way. So, um, if you have any questions about, like, you know, where the project heads and stuff. Of course.

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Feel free to stay in touch and ask questions. Um, but we've just been starting. If you want to start with, uh, just explaining who you are and, um, your experience with ones,

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that's probably a good place to start, and then we can jump off from there. Yeah. Um, so my name is Jessica Vigil.

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I was a or am a graduate of Eastern Washington University in Cheyney, Washington. Um, and I attended and participated in WINS in summer of 2008 and 2009.

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Um, so the first summer was with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the second summer was with the Department of Veteran Affairs. Um, and so my experience, um, I

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would say it was pretty pivotal in, in my experience and just I was a rez kid that went to college, didn't know what I was doing, and walked into my advisor's office. And she's like, here, do this, um, or apply.

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And I got in and that was the first time leaving the West Coast. So it was it was interesting. Cool. Um. That's amazing.

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Could you speak a little bit to, um, people have been talking about all their various roles in WINS and, like, what their specific jobs were or what that day to day look like.

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So if you want to talk a little bit about that and how that has or has not shaped your career path today, that would also be really helpful. Yeah.

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Um, so the first summer I would say was probably the most pivotal in my higher education journey. Um, so in undergrad, pre WINS, I thought I wanted to go into like criminal justice social work type stuff.

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And then going into winds and interning with the BIA, um, I got put into the Office of Natural Resources. Um, and they were working on a project with some Alaska villages and trying to determine how the permafrost was affecting villages.

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Um, so I got to do a bunch of summer research working with, um, villages, kind of on the Chain Islands in the south of Alaska and how they're having to relocate. And so since I had more of a

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social science background at that time, they wanted me to kind of just look in like, what does it look like when relocating an entire village from a social aspect and not just the physical science part of it? Um, so it kind of really opened my

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eyes to like, environmental policy and how that's having an impact in native communities. And so that was like when I got back to eastern, I was like, that's what I want to do.

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I want to do policy writing. I want to focus on native communities and from an environmental lens. Um, so I ended up graduating with my bachelor's of arts in

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sociology, with an emphasis on American Indian studies and environmental studies. Um, and then I went to grad school and figured out that's not what I wanted to do anymore.

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More. Um, but so it really kind of changed the trajectory of what I wanted to do. I wanted to go into kind of social work, and then I was like, well,

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let's go into policy work. Um, I really liked DC. And so I was like, maybe I'll stay here, maybe not. Um, ended up coming back to the West Coast.

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Um, but definitely thought I wanted to go into environmental science policy stuff and then pivoted. And here I am in higher education now. Awesome.

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That's so funny, actually, that you graduated with a sociology degree because I also graduated with a sociology degree. Um, I had a sociology anthropology

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that combined with the departments, um, and. Yeah, so just funny because I don't run into a lot of like, sociologists, anthropologists often. Um, but that's super cool.

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Another thing that people have been bringing up, um, because very, uh, very much echoed in the other interviews that people see it as, you know, pivotal in different ways for their professional path.

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Um, I would be curious if you could speak some to the network as well. We've had like, you know, interviews where people have brought up the friends that they

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made or the professional contacts that they made, and how that's kind of impacted their lives today, or at least like their lives at that point. Um, so if you could speak a little

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bit to that, that'd be great. Yeah. I the lasting friendships and relationships that have came out of wins have been great.

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Um, there's kind of a core group of individuals that I stay in contact with. Um, a lot of us, or at least in my group of or core group, have stayed in higher ed. Um, so there's some down in New Mexico,

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there's some in Oklahoma, um, over in the Dakotas. Um, Jock Soto, I'm pretty sure you've heard his name a few times. Like he always reaches out when he's in the area, um, or within a couple hours of, like, hey, do you want to go grab dinner?

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Um, and the work that he's doing in education, too. Um, and there's been times where I'm like, hey, apply to this, or if you're going to this region with the students that I work with, I can kind of refer them to other resources.

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Um, and I, I would say the, the connections that we've been able to sustain from that, even though it's been over ten years, has been great. Um, not just at the friendship

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level, but professionally as well. Um, I don't know, too many more people left in DC outside of like, Naomi and Xavier and stuff, but more regionally, it's been pretty good.

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Awesome. Um, great. This is super helpful. I wonder if you could also expand

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on, um, maybe like the. Really good. Uh oh. I think you cut out again.

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You cut out right when you said expand. Cool. Can you hear me now? Yes.

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Okay. Sorry. The Wi-Fi problems are really annoying.

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Um, our WiFi, like Bill is also insanely high and, like, way higher than it's supposed to be. And we're like, okay, our wifi doesn't even work. Like, what is this? Um, I was wondering if you could

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speak to, like, if there was programming, what were the really good aspects that you really enjoyed or even like challenges that maybe you would change? Um, if there was programming, what would you want it to look like.

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For future, like wind programs or. Yeah. Um, I would just say the overall experience and just offering the opportunity for native kids and,

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and we're not really kids when we go, but, um, native individuals to get those experiences. Um, based off of my experience and I know a handful of others who participated in WINS, that was a

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lot of our first time leaving our communities. Um, and just that opportunity to experience another community, another culture, another region of the state. Um, you know, I can speak for myself.

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And that was the only second time flying and the first time flying by myself. Um, and so my dad had to kind of walk me through.

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And this is when you had to, like, read the boards. You still had paper tickets and everything.

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Um, and and that was life changing for me. I don't know if I would have kind of the travel bug that I have if I wasn't able to travel when I did.

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Um, and so I think programming like that to offer it to other native students is crucial. I work with native students on a fairly regular basis in my position, and just try to

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encourage them of like, hey, there's this going on, there's this going on. Um, within our state, we do have a few programs that we can refer students to.

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Um, but I hear all the time of, like, I don't know if I want to apply because I haven't been like for us, like, so I'm about 2.5 hours away from Seattle. Um, going to Seattle for some of

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our students is a big thing. And it's only 2.5 hours. And so trying to get students like, hey, there's this trip coming up that our school's doing, you should sign up to go.

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And they're like, well, I don't know if I can go. It's like, yes, you can. Um, and so having that supportive environment of knowing you're not the only one there that is

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experiencing that same anxiety Is pivotal and can really help somebody get out of that shell. Yeah, that's super helpful and definitely resonates with things that I've heard in the other

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interviews. Um, so appreciate, um, you giving that perspective because I think it's something that, um, that is shared, um, based on the interviews I've had so far.

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Um, well, I don't have a ton of other questions. This is really just like kind of a generalized conversation. But one big thing would be if there's anything I didn't ask you that you think I should really know walking away from this.

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Um, and secondly, like, what would be the most important thing that you think, um, we should know on this end? Um, walking away from this conversation and continuing this, uh, this work.

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Um, I would just kind of reiterate that WINS was an opportunity for a lot of individuals to experience something that they may never experience again. Um, because I also know other individuals who they've never they

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went to wins and they came back, and they've never traveled since then. And so it was their one opportunity to travel, to experience.

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Um, and then on the other hand, there are others who it just kind of lit something in them to continue either that policy work or diplomatic work, whatever it may be, it really ignited that passion within them.

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Um, and then kind of going forward, I would love to see winds come back. I would love as as a professional now in higher education to be able to give to my students what my advisor was able to give to me.

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Um, that that is something that I share, like in, in my work, um, when I get into kind of those conversations with my students of it's okay to leave your shell, I share my experience of like literally walking into my advisor's office and be like,

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here, apply. And to be able to do that as a professional would be kind of awesome to to be able to share with my students.

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Awesome. Um, well, thank you so much. Do you have any questions for me? I don't think so.

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If you have any follow up questions, feel free to reach out. Um, but I hope the project goes as whatever way it goes, because they tend to pivot and change all the

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time. Yeah. Yes. Um, yes.

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I will certainly keep you all posted. Um, we so appreciate you taking the time to chat with me a little bit. This has been super helpful.

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Um, so I will certainly stay in touch as interviews wrap. It might be a few more weeks, but, um, but we'll let you know kind of where this heads and. Yeah, if you have any questions

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for me, feel free to follow up. If you think of anyone else that you're like, they should definitely try and talk to this person.

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Feel free, um, to to send me an email with some names. I'm happy to do that as well. Okay.

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Um, and yeah, thank you very much. Very much. Appreciate it. And I hope you have a good afternoon.

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Thank you. You too. Yep. Good luck with your Wi-Fi.

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Thanks. Bye bye.