LUMMI NATION, Wash. — When she was growing up, Barbara Lewis - a member of the Lummi Nation - always knew she would go to college, because her parents reinforced the importance of it.
"It was just expected. It was just something that I was doing,” Lewis said.
When she received her master’s degree in management and leadership from WGU, Western Governors University, she proudly wore a mortarboard handwoven from cedar.
WGU's regional vice president Dr. Tonya Drake, whose father is a member of Vancouver Island’s Cowichan First Nations tribe, celebrated with her.
"I even had the opportunity to give her a hug and she walked across the stage in Seattle this past year,” said Dr. Drake. “And I'm so proud of what she has accomplished."
That’s because many students like Lewis, people of color and especially Native American students, don't earn the post-secondary degrees many jobs require.
"In Washington, only one out of four Native Americans has access to education beyond an associate's degree and so we have a lot of work to do,” Dr. Drake said.
WGU is a nonprofit, online university expanding access to bachelor's and master's degrees to busy, working adults and traditionally underserved student populations. It is dedicated to helping students bridge that attainment gap. Barbara Lewis is as well: Her post-grad career is back home on the Lummi reservation at Northwest Indian College, where she serves as Executive Director of their Foundation, raising money to help Native American students achieve a college education.
"I feel great being here because I am able to serve my community,” Lewis said. "I want to fully fund every single student. And I think that's the reality here."
Schools like WGU and Northwest Indian College were created to expand access to higher education and Barbara Lewis is happy to pay her education forward by helping the next generation of Native American students benefit from a college degree.
"I love it when I'm able to teach people about Indian country and I'm able to teach people about Northwest Indian College and our students,” Lewis said.
Sponsored by Western Governors University.
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