About
The Community, Agency & Engagement for Native Students project was designed to provide critical and culturally relevant support to Native and Indigenous students at Virginia Tech by connecting them to a network of supportive on-and off-campus community members who provide guidance and allyships necessary to their success both during their time as students in College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources and Environment and as graduates of these programs.
Prior to the establishment of this program, Native and Indigenous students’ primary source of support and connection to community was through the American Indian and Indigenous Community Center (AIICC) and its director. This program scaffolds and expands on that support by providing connections to tangible academic resources, mentors, and role models in laboratory and community spaces. By leveraging the networks that already support the broader student population on campus--the Community Cultural Centers including the American Indian and Indigenous Community Center, and both the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Natural Resources and Environment transdisciplinary research centers-- Native students are connected to each other and their peers. Faculty communities of practice, Elder in Residence, Experiential Learning Internship and the Near-Peer programs help to create a more inclusive climate for Native and Indigenous students while actively centering on their learning styles and needs. Our goal is that Native and Indigenous students at Virginia Tech not only obtain a degree, but that they thrive while here by maintaining connection with community, exploring educational interests and gaining real-world experience in the process.
To learn more . . .
explore these pages and/or contact:
Donna Westfall-Rudd, Project Director
Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning in the department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education