Diversity Fellow Project, Bailee Laducer
North Dakota's Diversity Fellowship: Building Cultural Competence and Workforce Diversity
North Dakota's Diversity Fellowship: Building Cultural Competence and Workforce Diversity [download]
Project Narrative
1. Please describe your activities during your Fellowship experience. Describe your final capstone project(s).
During my Fellowship experience, I worked a lot with my home town. I’m from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation. The objective of my Fellowship was bridging the gap between the reservation and North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD) at Minot State University (MSU). My final capstone project was a Spring Bridges day at MSU. I organized a day where we invited High School students from Turtle Mountain Community High School to MSU to tour NDCPD and learn about the different job opportunities the social work and disability studies fields offered students. We started off with a tour of campus, then onto a few sessions where they listened to speakers, and then the last part we showed them the wellness center and let them try out our rock climbing wall, which they really enjoyed.
2. Who did your project inform, help, influence or impact? (UCEDD, individual, community, state) How?
My project impacted teens that were in High School and thinking about college. It gave them exposure into the field of social work and disability studies that they didn’t get before. It may have influenced them or inspired them to go into something they didn’t think of previously. We gave them a lot of good information to help them make an informed decision about what they wanted to further their education in.
3. Why did you choose to work on that project(s)?
I chose to work on this project after I was exposed to NDCPD and realized just how much I admired the hard work they did for others especially people with disabilities. When I went to high school and considered college I wasn’t really exposed to this course of study and really wish I had been. I know if I wasn’t exposed to it back then, then there probably aren’t a whole lot of students now that are being exposed to it either. I knew that the field needed more people to work and advocate for people with disabilities and the only way to do that is reach out to the younger generation. Being Native American I was taught that the younger generation is the future. So being that I wasn’t given all my options I at least wanted to give the High School students a new option they may have not had or known about before.
4. What did you gain from being a Diversity Fellow?
I gained so much knowledge from being the Diversity Fellow. I learned a lot about what NDCPD does as an organization and also how hard working and passionate everyone who works there is. I gained a lot of insight on how things are run. It was a very knowledgeable and delightful experience that I will carry with me to my future endeavors.
This experience will definitely help me have a different perspective moving forward. It will help me understand people with disabilities a lot better and how to work with them. I’m going to be a radiology tech and I know I will have to help patients with disabilities and their families. I will be able to use good etiquette and be better at making them feel comfortable, all from the experiences and knowledge I gained from the Fellowship.
6. What are your future goals? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
My future goals are to graduate with my Bachelor’s of Science in Radiologic Technology. I want to live in a city like Denver, CO someday, away from the bitter cold of North Dakota (ND) winters. In 5 years, I see myself employed at a hospital somewhere as a Radiology Tech. Probably in ND the first few years after college and then onto experience other places. The most important thing about where I see myself in 5 years is that I’ll be happy wherever I’m at and enjoying my job.
7. What recommendations do you have for other Fellows?
The only recommendation I have for other Fellows is to enjoy your time and really apply yourself. The experience is rewarding and also goes by superfast. If you enjoy helping others this will be something you’ll enjoy.