2022 Summer Academy Award Winners

The 2022 Sovereign Native Youth STEM Leadership Academy was the return to an in-person event post coronavirus. High School students were hosted on the campus of University of Nebraska-Lincoln from Sunday, June 26th to Friday, July 1st and chose which activities to participate in.

This year's program theme reflects commitment to the Seventh Generation Principle. This is a forward looking principle held by many Indigenous peoples that decisions today should benefit seven generations into the future. The activities throughout the week strengthen values that students can take forward into their own lives and communities.

Program Schedule

Sunday, June 26
Time Agenda Item Speaker Location
12:30 - 1:00 PM Arrival and Check-in University Suites
1780 R St, Lincoln, NE 68508
1:00 - 2:00 PM Lunch Introductory Remarks, Worlds of Connections Ice Breakers, and surveys East Campus Union, Great Plains Room
1705 Arbor Dr, Lincoln, NE 68503
2:00 - 3:30 PM Tie-Dye T-Shirt Activity East Campus Union Lawn
3:30 - 4:30 PM Native Youth for the Seventh Generation Presentation and Activity Sign Up East Campus Union
Great Plains Room
4:30 - 5:30 PM Ice Cream Social UNL Dairy Store, East Campus
114, Food Industry Complex, Lincoln, NE 68503
5:30 - 6:30 PM Transition to University Suites
Change for Opening Ceremony
6:30 - 8:15 PM Opening Ceremony

Prayer and Blessing: Ms.Phyllis R. Stone, Sicangu Lakota Elder

Opening Remarks: Ms. Judi gaiashkibos, NCIA Executive Director
Dr. Aemal Khattak, Mid-America Transportation Center Director

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Colette Yellow Robe, UNL

Lied Commons
301 N 12th St, Lincoln, NE 68508
8:15 - 8:20 PM Transition to University Suites
8:20 - 10:00 PM Supervised Activities at Dorms University Suites
10:00 PM Headcout and Curfew

Monday, June 27
Time Agenda Item Speaker Location
8:00 AM Transition to Willa Cather
8:00 - 8:45 AM Breakfast Willa Cather Dining Complex
530 N 17th St, Lincoln, NE 68588
8:45 AM Groups Disperse for Activities
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Daily Activity 1
Cultural Appreciation: Visual Arts Nebraska Innovation Studio
Health and Wellness UNL Rec Center and The Bay
Nature Stewardship Mr. Jason St. Sauver, Senior Education Manager, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center
12:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch
Cultural Appreciation: Visual Arts The Mill on Nebraska Innovation Campus
Health and Wellness Willa Cather Dining Complex
Nature Stewardship Picnic Lunch at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center
1:00 - 4:00 PM Daily Activity 1 Continued
Cultural Appreciation: Visual Arts Nebraska Innovation Studio
Health and Wellness UNL Rec Center and The Bay
Nature Stewardship Mr. Jason St. Sauver, Senior Education Manager, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center
4:00 - 5:00 PM Transition to University Suites
Change for Bowling
5:00 - 8:00 PM Bowling Dinner UNL East Campus Union, Husker Bowling Center
8:00 PM Transition to University Suites
8:00 - 10:00 PM Supervised Activities at Dorms University Suites
10:00 PM Headcout and Curfew

Tuesday, June 28
Time Agenda Item Speaker Location
8:00 AM Transition to Willa Cather
8:00 - 8:45 AM Breakfast Willa Cather Dining Complex
9:00 - 10:00 AM UNL City Campus Tour
10:00 - 11:00 AM Memorial Stadium Tour
11:00 - 11:15 AM Transition to Centennial Mall
Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Statue
11:15 - 11:45 AM Centennial Mall and Group Photo Remarks: Larry Small, Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte Statue Donor Centennial Mall
11:45 AM Transition to Willa Cather
12:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch Willa Cather Dining Complex
1:00 - 4:00 PM Daily Activity 2
Cultural Appreciation: Visual Arts Ms. Sarah Rowe, Multimedia Artist Great Plains Art Museum
1155 Q St, Lincoln, NE 68508
Health and Wellness Mr. Ted Hibbeler, Tribal Extension Educator, Native American Coalition, UNL Plant Pathology Building, East Campus, UNL
4:00 - 5:00 PM Transition to University Suites and Dinner
5:00 - 6:30 PM Dinner and Panel Native American Professionals Willa Cather Dining Complex
6:30 - 10:00 PM Supervised Activities at the Dorms University Suites
10:00 PM Headcount and Curfew

Wednesday, June 29
Time Agenda Item Speaker Location
8:00 AM Transition to Willa Cather
8:00 - 8:30 AM Breakfast Board Bus and Transition to University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) Arrive at Michael F Sorrell Center For Health Science Education
S 42nd St & Emile St, Omaha, NE 68198
9:45 - 11:45 AM Group Tours Wigton Heritage Center and iEXCEL
11:45 AM Transition to Lunch
11:50 AM - 12:25 PM Lunch Sorell Center Plaza
12:30 - 1:45 PM

Documentary and Discussion

Screening of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte documentary film and discussion

Greeting: Dr. Siobhan Wescott, UNMC
1:45 PM Transition to Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
2:00 - 3:30 PM Parfleche Making Activity

Dr. Annika Johnson, Associate Curator of Native American Art, Joslyn Art Museum

Ms. Rachel Adams, Chief Curator and Director of Programs, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts

Ms. Nicole Benegas, Executive Director, Bluebird Cultural Initiative

Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
3:30 - 4:30 PM Board Bus and Transition to University Suites
4:30 - 5:00 PM Free Time
5:00 - 6:00 PM Dinner and Panel Panel: College Student Experiences Willa Cather Dining Complex
6:00 - 10:00 PM Video Game Jam and Supervised Activities at Dorm UNL Campus Rec Center and Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts
10:00 PM Headcount and Curfew

Thursday, June 30
Time Agenda Item Speaker Location
8:00 AM Transition to Willa Cather
8:00 - 8:45 AM Breakfast
8:45 AM Groups Disperse for Activities
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Daily Activity 3
Visual Arts Nebraska Innovation Studio
Health and Wellness
Worlds of Connections Activity
Nature Stewardship Mr. Jason St. Sauver, Senior Education Manager, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center
12:00 - 1:00 PM Lunch
Visual Arts The Mill on Nebraska Innovation Campus
Health and Wellness Willa Cather Dining Complex
Nature Stewardship Picnic Lunch at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center
1:00 - 4:00 PM Daily Activity 3 Continued
Visual Arts Nebraska Innovation Studio
Health and Wellness UNL Rec Center and The Bay
Nature Stewardship Mr. Jason St. Sauver, Senior Education Manager, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center
4:00 - 6:00 PM Transition to University Suites
Change for Formal Dinner
6:00 - 8:00 PM Formal Dinner

Welcome: Dr. Susan Weller, Director of University of Nebraska State Museum

Keynote: Mr. Alexander Mallory, Judicial Law Clerk, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona

Remarks on Worlds of Connections: Dr. Trish Wonch Hill, Co-Investigator and Director of Learning Research, Worlds of Connections

Morrill Hall
645 N 14th St, Lincoln, NE 68588
8:00 - 10:00 PM Supervised Activities at Dorms University Suites
10:00 PM Headcount and Curfew

Friday, July 1
Time Agenda Item Speaker Location
8:00 AM Transition to Willa Cather
8:00 - 8:45 AM Breakfast Willa Cather Dining Complex
8:45 AM - 12:00 PM Final Project Showcase Preparation
12:00 - 2:00 PM Closing Ceremony Student Project Showcase Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts
2:00 - 2:30 PM Post-Academy Surveys Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts
2:35 PM Students Depart

The Mid-America Transportation Center and Nebraska Transportation
Center greatly appreciate and acknowledge the generous support of:

Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center logo
Great Plains Art Museum logo
Native American Coalition logo
USDOT logo
NCIA logo
University of Nebraska State Museum
UNMC logo
Worlds of Connections logo
Nebraska Innovation Studio logo
The Bay logo
Lincoln Bike Kitchen logo