More than 100 students, including students from the Flathead Reservation, will soon move to the University of Montana campus in Missoula and spend part of their summer vacation building their own computers, learning about color wavelengths, and sailing down the river while floating on the Clark Fork. It will be spent on researching ecology. Students will live like freshmen in college, eating at foodzoos, attending classes, and learning about their surroundings, but no one older than their senior year of high school. not here.

This is the culmination of a year of hard work and anticipation for middle and high school students in the Montana Math Science Indians (MT AIMS) program. MT AIMS summer camps bring together students from inside and outside Montana, primarily from Indigenous communities, to build friendships, develop STEM skills, and pave the way to college.

The camp will be held for the 5th time this summer. The first student of 2019 is now her junior year, pondering life after high school. Many are considering going to college, which for MT AIMS Associate Director Stephen Chase is a sign that the program is working.

“I don’t think they would have considered it as much if it wasn’t for a program like this,” said Chase, who is a member of the Dineh (Navajo) tribe. “This program has the potential to change the lives of children in indigenous communities. When I look at my juniors today and hear them discussing going to school, I think so. I think it’s a big step.”

Native Americans lag behind other nonwhite student groups in higher education and have the lowest graduation rates, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

“Generally, if you look at the number of indigenous students present on most university campuses, it’s less than 1 percent,” said UM Chemistry Professor and director of MT AIMS and the university’s Indigenous Studies and Executive Education Program. Aaron Thomas said. “Native students are either grouped with other groups or not considered.”

“When we talk about STEM, it’s much lower,” added Thomas, who is also a member of the Dineh tribe.

MT AIMS hopes to change these statistics by offering free STEM education to native students. I hope that those who are interested in university will feel the power to go on to higher education.

Aaliyah Tucker, an eighth grader at St. Ignatius Public School who dreams of a career in entrepreneurship, modeling and acting, said, “It’s been a really fun experience because it gives you an idea of ​​what college is like.” said.

Tucker has ambitions to accelerate that dream with dual enrollment and Montana Digital Academy in high school. She credits MT AIMS with helping her realize and motivate herself to achieve those goals.

“I got better grades,” she said.

Achieving good grades is a prerequisite for returning to MT AIMS Summer Camp. Chase works year-round to meet the minimum grade requirement for a C average.

On a recent mid-May morning, Chase loaded a rental van with hot coffee, crisp $10 bills, and grade reports and headed north to Flathead Indian Reservation with MT AIMS students for a monthly grade check. did

Chase travels monthly, sometimes driving all day to Native communities in eastern Montana and staying overnight. The May trek also included stops at Ronan Middle School, Ronan High School and St. He Ignatius Public School.

While the students buzzed as they gathered, discussing the end of the year, asking about summer plans, and wondering if they could meet at UM at camp, Chase stepped aside one by one to review grades. I was sending

Students with grades above the C average are given a scholarship worth two ten-dollar bills, but Chase doesn’t want the money to go to native children in the face of President Andrew Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act. You will never be given a $20 bill because you are thinking about it. Ronan High School student Aaliyah Stewart gleefully gave Chase a high-five after she received her $10 for the first time this spring.

Chase encouraged students below the C average to improve their grades and stressed that his camp friends would miss them. He explains strategies such as submitting incomplete assignments and improving grades in future coursework and tutoring.

“I will complete these two weeks,” promised Judaya Azul Matt, eighth grader at Ronan Middle School.

Azul-Mat, who first enrolled in MT AIMS in sixth grade, was eager to attend the camp again. She explained that this was an open and free experience that encouraged her to succeed in ways she never believed she could, especially as a middle school student. Her supportive counselors and instructors (many of whom are native speakers) allowed her to challenge herself in a safe environment.

“They didn’t give us a lot of restrictions that normal kids have. They trusted us,” said Azur Mat. “It really gave me faith in myself.”

In addition to typical camp activities such as playing basketball and hiking the campus M Trail, students also engage in more advanced activities such as drone coding. Each begins their first year building a computer. This was something Azure never imagined her mat could do for her. If a student passes Algebra 1 with her C or better, she can keep that grade.

Not all campers are Indigenous, but each shares their experience growing up in an Indigenous community. Most are from Montana, but some trek from Maryland, Nevada, and Arizona.

Azur-Matt was struck by how comprehensive the classes were, combining Western science with indigenous methods from her culture, such as teaching mathematics through traditional games. This integration is a crucial and intentional aspect of MT AIMS’ long-term vision.

“We are slowly embracing traditional and native methods of knowledge to connect STEM activities and show that thousands of years of practice are actual scientific practices,” Chase said. said. “There has always been science in indigenous communities. It was to know what to do.”

By showing Indigenous students how science is and will continue to be integrated into their communities, they will gain confidence that they too have a place in STEM fields. The intention is similar in hiring native college-level camp counselors who will be friends and mentors for campers.

“It’s great to be able to show these role models to students and say, ‘Okay, they did it, I can do it,'” Thomas said. “They realized there was a way.”

Making friends with counselors and fellow campers is a highlight for MT AIMS students. Many stay in touch throughout the year until they meet again at camp.

“I’ve never made such good friends,” Azur-Mat said.

When I talked to my counselor about my college experience, her attention was captured. She is interested in both science and art and after high school she hopes to attend UM.

MT AIMS’ long-term vision is to serve more students like Azure-Matt through graduate school. By developing additional programs similar to UM’s Indigenous first-year experience and connecting Native students to second-year college internships, Thomas will create a stronger pathway for Native students to graduate from college. I’m envisioning it.

One imminent change is Chase’s bittersweet departure for a new role in New Mexico at the end of the summer. “I will really miss them,” he said.

After his death, Chase hopes that MT AIMS students will graduate from high school, then college, and use their degrees to contribute to their communities. Or at least, return to camp as a counselor and lead by example.