Michigan: MSU Blanchard student named a 2008 national Udall Scholar; will use scholarship to encourage the revitalization of tribal language programs

[Harold Schiffman]

MSU Blanchard student named a 2008 national Udall Scholar



April 8, 2008


EAST LANSING, Mich. — Autumn Mitchell of Blanchard, a sophomore at
Michigan State University, will use her 2008 Udall Scholarship to
encourage the revitalization of tribal language programs. Each year
the Morris K. Udall Foundation awards 80 undergraduate scholarships of
up to $5,000 to sophomores and juniors nationally who demonstrate
commitment to careers in the environment, or to Native American and
Alaska Native students committed to tribal public policy or health
care issues. "To me, receiving this scholarship means that somebody
outside the tribal community is recognizing the importance of saving
indigenous languages," said Mitchell, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa
Indian Tribe. "This is a longstanding issue in indigenous communities,
but it doesn't often reach the mainstream. I hope the Udall
Scholarship will enhance my ability to help my tribe retain our
language."


In high school, she volunteered at her local elementary school,
helping with curriculum development for the Ojibwe language teachers.
"Autumn Mitchell has a clear and focused desire to revitalize
indigenous languages by working in concert with her own and other
tribal communities," said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the MSU
Honors College. "She understands the importance of giving back to her
community and has a commitment to making sure that her efforts toward
language revitalization are sustainable. It is a joy to watch her eyes
sparkle when she speaks of her plans for the future; it is obvious
that Autumn embodies the ideals heralded by the Udall Foundation."


As part of her mastery of linguistics and policy skills, Mitchell is
studying the Ojibwe language, French and political science at MSU.
"I came to MSU because the university offers Ojibwe language classes,"
Mitchell said. "My instructor, Helen Roy, a visiting lecturer in the
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African
Languages, has known me since I was five, and I think she is an
excellent teacher. "Ojibwe is structurally very different from
English, and she can explain grammar in a way that makes it seem
simple and easily understood." The Ojibwe (or Ojibwa) language, known
to its own speakers as Anishinabe or Anishinaabemowin, is an
Algonquian tongue spoken by people in the northern United States and
Canada.


Mitchell, daughter of Kevin and Angela Mitchell, is linguistics major
in the College of Arts and Letters, and a member of the Honors
College. A 2006 graduate of Oasis High School, she expects to graduate
from MSU in 2010. She plans to pursue an advanced degree at a Canadian
university, partly because of the large population of Ojibwe in
Canada. "I greatly desire to see indigenous languages learned as a
first language once more," Mitchell said. "By working to assist with
language efforts and overseeing language political initiatives, I
would anticipate increasing the number and quality of those programs
within tribal communities."


At MSU, Mitchell is a Jingle Dress dancer and a cultural programmer
with the North American Indigenous Student Organization and a
facilitator for the international teaching assistants orientation
program. She also speaks to student groups and classes about the
history and culture of powwows. She was recently elected president of
the MSU chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering
Society. She has participated in study abroad trips in Quebec City and
the United Kingdom.Besides Mitchell's honor, Jackson-Elmoore noted
that Marci Baranski of Suttons Bay received an honorable mention from
the Udall Foundation in the 2008 competition.


Udall awards at MSU


Autumn Mitchell is MSU's eighth Udall Scholar since the program's
inception in 1996.

Since 2000, MSU has had eight Udall Scholars

The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and excellence in National Environment
al Policy Foundation was authorized by Congress in 1992 to honor U.S.
Rep. Udall's legacy of public service. The foundation is supported by
a trust fund in the U.S. Treasury and contributions from the private
sector.

http://newsroom.msu.edu/site/indexer/3367/content.htm

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of
the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a
message are encouraged to post a rebuttal. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)
*******************************************