Four hardworking students from Browning High School have earned an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, next week to attend the Intertribal Agriculture Council Conference (link), thanks to their stand-out essays on the future of agriculture in indigenous communities.
The event will bring together native agricultural leaders, youth, and advocates from across the country.
“As a teacher, I am proud to see them work hard and am excited to see them represent the Blackfeet and Browning High School,” said BHS Vocational Agriculture teacher, Mrs. Champ.
The winning students – Cameron Gordon, Cassie DeRoche, Wase Williams, and Talvin Champ were four of just 60 students selected out of essays submitted from all over the nation.
The prompt, which was created by the IAC, was sent to the students where they then had to research and put their own thoughts on sustaining agriculture in their communities.
Mrs. Champ added, “Just having the students figure out what they can do as teenagers to help with the tribal advisory council and the USDA really opened a lot of our eyes, including mine, to what our native students can really do out in the real world.”
Pride could be felt all throughout the classroom for the students accomplishment, and they were excited, expressing how they originally didn’t think they would make it.
“I had no expectations on making it, but I was pretty excited.” said Cameron Gordon.
Wase Williams added, “I was excited that I got picked because I’ve been working on it for two weeks and I didn’t think I would have.”
The convention will provide the students with hands-on workshops, networking opportunities, and exposure to agricultural practices. The trip will be an opportunity to bring back valuable insights to their community.
“I have no doubt they're going to just knock it out of the park,” said Mrs. Champ. “They're going to honor their school. They're going to honor their community and the reservation in Browning.”
