Summer Powwows Return

This summer has seen a return of powwows and community events to American Indian tribal communities across the country. Though the gradual return to annual powwows and other cultural and community events are now proceeding with greater precaution with the increase in COVID-19 variant cases and new recommendations from the CDC, many powwow celebrations will continue to move forward with their outdoor events. Some tribal nations and powwow committees have opted to downsize their annual contest powwows with smaller traditional powwows. This effort allows communities to minimize the amount of people traveling into their tribal communities. Flyers and promotions for powwows indicate caution and encourage behaviors such as mask wearing for those who are not vaccinated, social distancing and hand washing throughout the event. For many, a return to powwows has been a welcome sign with opportunities to reconnect with friends and family, and to once again feel and see the positive energy from dancing and singing. As powwows ramp back up, AIHREA encourages everyone to get vaccinated and to respect the protocols and guidelines in place that tribal nations and powwow committees have set for the safety of their community members.

AIHREA Summer Interns 

This year's internship was the first for our team as the Institute for Indigenous Studies at Lehigh University. It has been an exciting summer with a great group of interns. Read more about some of them below!

Caitlin Haas is a rising senior at Lehigh University. She will graduate in December of 2022 with a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology. She is widely interested in linking the brain and the mind, memory, social psychology, and neuroendocrinology. After undergrad, Caitlin hopes to continue onto graduate school to earn her PhD in Psychology with a neuroscience concentration. From there, she sees herself working in academia, conducting her own research, and mentoring students. Outside of academia, Caitlin is largely involved with Lehigh University Choir and Dolce, Lehigh’s treble choir, of which she is currently manager. She is also passionate about reading, writing, and cooking and wishes she had more time to curl up with a nonfiction and a cup of tea.

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Katelyn Diaz is a rising senior at Lehigh University majoring in Psychology and Philosophy. Before transferring to Lehigh last year, Katelyn attended Miami Dade College, where she spent most of her time volunteering for organizations such as National Alliance on Mental Illness and Greater Miami Youth for Christ. At Lehigh she has had the opportunity to be a part of the Resistance Lab which focuses their research on the prevention of Gender-Based Violence, as well as work with the Institute for Indigenous Studies on a Mountain Top Summer Initiative Program directed towards improving health disparities and infrastructure in Native communities. After she graduates she plans on pursing a law degree in hopes of putting an end to injustice and providing a voice to those who may feel underrepresented. 

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​Hi I’m Anna Erickson! I’m from Seattle, WA and I’m attending Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. I’m a rising sophomore majoring in Population Health and minoring in Indigenous Studies. I love hiking and the outdoors but I can’t stand anything with avocados. I have really enjoyed interning with the team this summer and I look forward to my next three years at Lehigh!

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Swati Palghat is currently a Master’s student in the Healthcare Systems Engineering program at Lehigh University. Prior to Lehigh she completed her dental training and is a licensed Dentist in India. Her interests are to integrate her clinical knowledge with healthcare research and a systems engineering perspective to improve health outcomes, accessibility, quality and affordability to healthcare within communities. During this internship she has gained experience in community participatory healthcare research and how such research can be used to improve health in underserved communities.

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Madeleine Schott is from West Hartford, CT and is a rising sophomore at Lehigh University. Majoring in Population Health, Madeleine is part of the inaugural class of the College of Health within Lehigh. Throughout the summer of 2021, Madeleine has worked as a fellow for the Mountaintop Summer Program at Lehigh with the partnership of the Institute of Indigenous Studies. She shares a passion for research, particularly within understanding the socio-economic framework of the United States and how that can impact community health. During highschool, Madeleine joined a community service project which traveled to Quito, Ecuador and helped provide medical services to community members in rural areas which had limited medical resources. This experience motivated Madeleine to pursue a major in Population Health and a career through the health industry. Within her first year, she has been awarded Dean’s list placement for both semesters in addition to joining the student advisory council for the College of Health. She is looking forward to continuing work with the Institute throughout her time at Lehigh and beyond.

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Ian Scott is a student at Lehigh University, where he will be a Junior this Fall. He is majoring in Population Health and is currently interested in going to Physical Therapy School for his graduate education. Becoming a PT involves working with people of any and all different cultural backgrounds, which is a skill he hopes to improve upon this summer by working with the American Indian Community Health and Education team. Ian is also a member of the Track and Field team at Lehigh. 

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Katherine Stenersen is a rising sophomore at Lehigh University majoring in behavioral neuroscience. Since high school, Katherine has been interested in learning about health disparities. Through this internship, she hopes to learn more about the disparities in Native communities and the solutions available and being created. Additionally, she wants to further understand the process of creating and implementing a solution to these issues. Moving forward, she wants to continue to learn about the health disparities and inequity as well as the current and future solutions to those problems. 

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