News

Sweet Potatoes: For your Indian or your face

Gail Julius, a Lummi Tribal member and Northwest Indian College Traditional Plants & Foods Program Assistant (part of the Cooperative Extension Office), has committed to providing the community with a healthy recipe each month.

This month she is getting sweet on sweet potatoes and the nutrition they can contribute to our diets and nourishment they can provide our skin.

Lummi Elders help tackle community health questions

On Nov. 6, Northwest Indian College’s Lummi Traditional Plants & Foods program hosted a dinner and roundtable discussion called “Reclaiming our Local Food System, Back to the Basics.”

Program staff invited Elders from the Lummi community to discuss three questions: 
• What does feeding the people look like to you?
• What ways do you see families working together to feed the community?
• How do you want to be involved?

NWIC Highlight: Student determined to teach Native youth

Alisha Sellars, Shuswap/Secwepemc from British Columbia, is 21 years old, a mother of a 2-year-old son, works full time, and is a full-time Northwest Indian College (NWIC) student working toward becoming an elementary or early-education teacher.

“I’m hoping to teach in Native communities because, growing up, I only saw one Native teacher,” Sellars said. “I think it’s important for Native teachers to teach Native children because they share a sense of culture and have an extra connection to the kids and I think that extra connection helps the kids.”

NWIC men's basketball team is not afraid of tough competitors

NWIC took on the University of Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 15 and 16.

On Dec. 29, the Northwest Indian College (NWIC) men’s basketball team went toe to toe with Montana State University (MSU) in a David-and-Goliath-style match up. The NWIC Eagles were defeated 101-70, but they played a strong game and demonstrated, once again, that they aren’t the kind of players to shy away from a challenge.

While the MSU Bobcats is a Division I NCAA team representing more than 11,000 full-time-equivalent students, NWIC Eagles is a small, unaffiliated team. NWIC is a tribally-chartered school headquartered on the Lummi Nation with approximately 851 full-time-equivalent students at its seven locations on reservations throughout Washington and Idaho.

NWIC receives $1.5 million from LIBC for campus expansion

Contribution will allow NWIC to complete two more buildings

Northwest Indian College (NWIC) has undergone some major growth over the past eight years – on its main campus at Lummi alone, six new buildings have been built and another is nearly complete. Until recently, though, construction on two buildings was stalled. NWIC still needed to secure more than $1 million before building could proceed.

This fall, NWIC got the funds it needed when the Lummi Indian Business Council (LIBC) voted to approve a $1.5 million contribution for construction of a new Library/Technology building and for a Coast Salish Institute building.

NWIC’s rocket team starts the year strong

 Last year, Northwest Indian College’s rocket club took first place in the American Indian Society of Engineers and Scientists (AISES) portion of the First Nations Launch competition and took 12th out of 41 teams that took part in the 2012 NASA University Student Launch Initiative competition.

Now, the Space Center and its team, the RPGs, is at it again. They are gearing up to participate in this year’s competitions.

NWIC’s team was accepted into the 2013 NASA competition in late September. The five-month countdown to competition blast off has begun. During this time, the RPGs will continue to improve and test launch their rocket and begin testing and perfecting a technology new to this year’s rocket: a multi-rotor vehicle (MV), an idea that sprung from previous launches that would end with students walking long distances – sometimes miles – to retrieve rockets after they had landed.

A passion for traditional plants and foods

by Gail Julius, NWIC Traditional Plants & Foods employee

My name is Gail Julius, my mother is Vela (Julius) Kamkoff & my grandparents were Vela (Jefferson) Trouse and Haynes Julius. Vanessa Cooper is the child of Jena (Julius) Ostrand and Jim Ostrand (we have the same grandparents) and is the coordinator and educator for Northwest Indian College’s Traditional Plants & Food Program. I write to you, my community, on behalf of the NWIC Traditional Plants & Food Program (part of NWIC’s Cooperative Extension Office).

Healthy recipe of the month: Powerhouse Chicken Pita

by Gail Julius, NWIC Traditional Plants & Foods employee

In order to help show that healthy meals can be delicious, Gail Julius, of Northwest Indian College’s Traditional Plants & Foods Program (part of the Cooperative Extension Office) has committed to providing the community with a recipe each month.

“Like anything in life, change is a slow process,” Julius said. “I am not saying that you have to give up your favorite foods, just choose one day per week to introduce healthy food choices, and begin to watch your body transform.”

This month’s featured recipe is Powerhouse Chicken Pita, which is made of chicken, kale, spinach, almonds, whole wheat pita bread and your choice of dressing.

NWIC expands childcare facility, capacity

Northwest Indian College (NWIC ) students will soon have more childcare available on campus.

This winter, more parents will be able to drop their children off at the college's Early Learning Center thanks to an expansion that will allow the center to bring in 20 more children. Construction on the center began in early summer.

Ashia Smock, the Early Learning Center (ELC) manager, said demand for childcare at the facility has outweighed available spots, specifically preschool care, since the center opened in 2009.

What’s next? NWIC transfer, job fairs offer opportunities for the future

Northwest Indian College (NWIC) will host two events on Nov. 15 intended to help students and community members find some direction for the future.

The day will kick off with NWIC’s Fall Transfer Fair, which will run from 9 a.m. to noon in the Log Building on NWIC’s Lummi campus, at 2522 Kwina Road. The event, which is sponsored by the Washington Council for High School-College Relations, will feature Western Washington University, the University of Washington, Washington State University, Evergreen State College, Pacific Lutheran University, Central Washington University and Eastern Washington University.