The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable

GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
Director of the Native American Future Stewards Program at RIT, Kendall R. Scott, Advocating for the Next Generation of Native Students
 

Ho, chaki chinamakiki. Ne Kicapoii Ookonomeki netochipia. Nekiaa nenemekithoa eni notha e macuithochi. (English translation - Hello my relations. I am Kickapoo and I come from Oklahoma. My mother is from the thunderbird clan and my father the bear clan.)

My traditional name is Nasakoskaka and my government name is Kendall R. Scott, Jr. I am from the bear clan. I am an enrolled member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma and my paternal grandfather was from the Meskwaki Nation, Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa. I have worked in higher education for eight years.

I am a first-generation college student and attended Bacone College where I received a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and American Indian Studies in 2018. I started as a research assistant for the Renard Strickland School for Tribal Law & Criminal Justice and left in July of 2022 as the Senior Director of Student Support and Services. I am currently the Director of the Native American Future Stewards Program (FSP) at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester (RIT), New York. The Native American FSP was established as a result of RIT’s commitment to increase the success rate and number of Native scholars (Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and First Nations) in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) along with other areas of need in Indian country. We partner with students, Tribal Nations, organizations, and corporations to create opportunities for Native scholars to develop professionally, personally, and culturally.

I would like to acknowledge that RIT is located on the traditional territory of the Onöndowa'ga:' or “the people of the Great Hill.” In English, they are known as Seneca people, “the keeper of the western door.” They are one of the six nations that make up the sovereign Haudenosaunee Confederacy. We honor the land on which RIT was built and recognize the unique relationship that the Indigenous stewards have with this land. That relationship is the core of their traditions, cultures, and histories. We recognize the history of genocide, colonization, and assimilation of Indigenous people that took place on this land. Mindful of these histories, we work towards understanding, acknowledging, and ultimately reconciliation.
  
What key moments defined you as a leader?
 
I grew up in a traditional Kickapoo family and have relatives in Oklahoma, Texas, Northern Mexico, and Tama, Iowa. Growing up my mother instilled on my siblings and I the importance of traveling and participating in ceremonies in Nacimiento, Coahuila, Mexico and Kickapoo ceremonially ground in Oklahoma. The Kickapoo are originally from the Great Lakes area and were forced to relocate to Indian territory like many other Tribal Nations.

A key moment that defined me as a leader began in my sophomore year when my academic advisor Wambli Win (Lakota) pushed me to get involved in the Student Government Association (SGA) so the Native students would have a voice on campus. I would go onto become the President of the SGA and a non-voting member of board of trustees at Bacone. In 2018, Bacone decided to hire a new President, Ferlin Clark (Diné), and was heading down the path of closure due to poor financial management. Before Ferlin could start, the administration had shut down the cafeteria and locked the library during finals week. That was my first test as a leader. The students were scared and hungry due to the cafeteria being closed and they turned to me to lead them. Wambli invited me into her tiyospaye and educated me on the seven Lakota values: fortitude, generosity, kinship, prayer, respect, wisdom, and compassion. Wambli’s lessons are what stuck with me during this difficult time and I used the last of the SGA funds to pay for food for the students to eat and began a campaign with Ferlin to save the Bacone.

After the dust settled and the old administration left and the new administration began it was time to rebuild Bacone College, Oklahoma’s oldest operating institution of higher education. The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) put Bacone on probation and through sacrifice, long hours, and dedication to the education of Native Scholars Bacone was taken off of HLC probation in February 2022.
 
What community-driven projects have you spearheaded/participated in that you are proud of? What did you take away from these experiences?

In 2018, a Comanche elder living in the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma came to me and asked for support in changing Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. We were successful in convincing the city and a group called the Muskogee Oklahoma Native American Association was formed to celebrate Native American culture in the city. It’s important to educate and celebrate the diverse cultures and histories of Tribal Nations to build understanding.

While I was a student at Bacone, I had a roommate that came from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He arrived with only a plastic bag with a pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts, and two shirts. I could see that there was a need not only for clothing donations, but there was a food scarcity problem on campus as well. I partnered with the TRIO program on campus to set up the Bacone Warrior Food Pantry. It has grown to offer school supplies, clothing and food not only to the campus community but the city of Muskogee as well.

How do you connect with your ancestral roots professionally and personally?

“Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.” – Tecumseh.

This is a quote that is close to my heart. In Kickapoo culture it’s important to find the balance in life, understanding that there is a purpose and, on this journey, you are never alone. Those that have gone on will always be with you when you pray, when you breathe, in times of stress and in times of happiness. When the sunrises and when the sunsets I believe it’s important to take the time and speak with the Creator and be thankful for those that have sacrificed for future generations.

As a leader, what motivates you to move forward in adversity? Where do you find your passion?

I am motivated by the spirit of the Indigenous students that I serve. I get the chance to help them grow personally, culturally, and spiritually. They inspire me when they go back to their communities and become leaders and sources of inspiration for the next generation of Native scholars. Ferlin lit the fire of inspiration in me one day when he spoke to me about the importance of sovereignty and Tribal education, and molding the next generation of Native students to have the skills and ancestral knowledge to become the future leaders of their Nations.
Highlights from the Resolve to Solve in Atlanta below. You can watch a YouTube video of the entire day,thanks to WABE/PBS Atlanta.
Rose Scott with Dr. Glenda Glover, Dr. David Thomas, and Dr. M. Brian Blake
Michael Render, AKA "Killer Mike"
Challenges & Opportunities for Minority-Owned Business
Wednesday, Nov. 9th 2:00PM ET
  • Moderated by Carol Carter, President & CEO, GlobalMindED with:
  • Chuck Debow, CEO, National Black Chamber of Commerce
  • Pat Fong Kushida, President & CEO, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce
  • Peter Guzman, President,Latin Chamber of Commerce, Nevada
SAVE the DATE 2023: June 7 Inclusive Leader Awards Dinner
First Gen Leadership Program
June 8, 9 GlobalMindED Conference
2023 Denver, Colorado

CALL FOR PROPOSALS IS OPEN
June 2022 Conference Summary in Photos and Videos
We had an inspiring conference in June after two years of virtual gatherings due to COVID. If you missed that, you can still be a part of the experience through the photos from the 2022 GlobalMindED conference, as well as seeing the complete program for connections and inspiration.



Video remarks:
Honoring the 2022 Inclusive Leader Award Winners. Please see their stories:
GlobalMindED | 303-327-5688 | contact@globalminded.org | www.globalminded.org
Stay Connected