D.C. Trip Inspires Nations Scholars’ Drug-Free Campaign

By Tasha Dev

Fall semester 2013 was a busy one for the scholars of Northwest Nations Upward Bound at Wapato, Wash., High School. In collaboration with the National Family Partnership and U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Nations scholars planned and implemented a comprehensive “Red Ribbon Week” anti-drug campaign at their school.

Conceived of as a community service project tied to their summer Upward Bound curriculum, scholars worked with local law enforcement and federal DEA agents to advocate for drug-free and healthy, active lifestyles in their community.

The connection between the scholars and representatives of these federal organizations began in summer 2013, when Nations scholars took a field studies tour of Washington, D.C. To help draw realworld connections between their summer curriculum and the program’s career awareness initiatives, scholars interviewed professionals at the national headquarters and control room of the DEA, as well as their congressman and leaders of nongovernmental organizations.

“This experience actually led me to want to work for the DEA,” said Raquel Perez, a junior at Wapato High School.

After returning home to the Yakama Reservation, scholars asked their Upward Bound coordinator if they could contact their new friends in D.C. and offer

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to host a Red Ribbon Week at their school. Soon after, a giant box full of Red Ribbon giveaways arrived on their school’s doorstep, and they were off to the races.

The week’s events were entirely conceived of, planned and implemented by Nations scholars with the happy support of their coordinator.

“I participated in Red Ribbon Week at Wapato High School because the DEA had shown me how different drugs affect the body and the risks of drug use to the community,” said Victor Valadez, a junior at Wapato. “Also, to send a message — living drug-free will give you more opportunities in life.”

Activities included an informational booth at their school’s college fair, a release of red balloons to commemorate a fallen DEA agent and a food drive for the local homeless shelter. Scholars earned community service hours to meet their high school graduation requirements, discovered potential essay topics for scholarships and university applications and gained real-world experience interacting with law enforcement professionals, administrators and chemists at the local and federal levels.

Most importantly, they began to embrace their role as global citizens and the future stewards of their community and nation.

By Andrew Gauss

While children inspire first-grade teacher Patti Greenwood ’82, she has surely inspired plenty of them too, including her own two daughters. Each has chosen, like their mother, to pursue a degree in education at the University of Idaho.

Patti, who met her husband, John ’84 mechanical engineering, at the university, recalled feeling immediately at home on the “gorgeous” campus, where her brother also was a student. Now, she enjoys returning to stroll the arboretum and Hello Walk while seeing her daughters make the same transformation to adulthood that she did.

Laura Greenwood ’13 just earned her bachelor’s degree, and now teaches third-graders in the Boise School District, while Annie Greenwood is on track to graduate in 2015. Like their mother, they also joined Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

Patti and John, who live in Boise, have long supported their alma mater financially and give to a variety of programs.

Patti credited having “many bright, dynamic and fabulous teachers” at UI who inspired her to become

Like Mother, Like Daughters

an educator herself. However, she said, the College of Education must continue to remain dynamic to keep up with fast-changing technology.

“We have seen many changes in education. We cannot stand still or we, as educators, and our students will be left behind,” Patti said.

To make that happen, she hopes to see a new, updated facility for the UI College of Education — “one that our students deserve that is equipped with current technology.”

In a way, supporting UI is a natural extension of Patti’s dedication to educating and guiding young students, whether they’re in first grade or their first year of college.

“We believe that higher education is an opportunity for a better future for individuals and societies,” she said. “For emotional as well as practical reasons, we want to help provide opportunities for University of Idaho students to succeed in today’s world.

“We think that education elevates the quality of all our lives and we want to be part of that.”