INDIGENIZING THE ACADEMY: A STORY-TELLING JOURNEY TO DETERMINE PATHWAYS FOR NATIVE STUDENT SUCCESS IN ENGINEERING

Abstract

This study centers the experiences of Indigenous students persisting in undergraduate engineering programs at non-Native colleges and universities (NNCUs). With Native students having the lowest representation amongst all minoritized groups in higher education in general, and particularly in engineering, it is critically concerning that our perspective is not being well-represented. Native students are typically lumped together with other groups, which not only makes us feel insignificant and silenced, but attests to the low numbers of Indigenous students graduating with engineering degrees. Through the methodological approach of Indigenous Storywork, this study utilizes a series of conversations with seven self-identifying Indigenous students from various gender identities enrolled in undergraduate engineering programs, or who have graduated during the 2013-2018 time period, at four-year, public NNCUs across the nation. The study is theoretically conceptualized through the combination of Tribal Critical Race Theory and Indigenous Research Paradigm, leading to a model guided by the researcher’s own Cherokee tribal epistemology and ontology. Findings included four major themes as a part of the Utiyvhi in Engineering model: Nurturing an Early Connection to Engineering, Utilizing Survivance to Conquer the “Hidden Curriculum,” Building a “School Family” or Community, and Establishing Confidence through Experiential Learning. This study may inform administrators of successful strategies on how to be in a reciprocal relationship with tribal nations to recruit Indigenous students to their programs, provide culturally relevant and supportive environments for them, and ultimately graduate them to contribute to the workforce and the increased vitality of their respective tribal communities.

Keywords: Indigenous, Native, Engineering, STEM, Indigenous Engineering Students, Indigenous Storywork, Indigenous Methodologies, Undergraduate Native Student Experiences