Martin Wera sees the relationships between good food and good jobs through his focus on hunger relief and workforce development at Ameriprise. He is passionate about exploring ways to unite the food service industry and the nonprofit sector to create
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Travis graduated from the University of North Dakota in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics. Travis works as a program coordinator with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in an effort to improve
Jennifer Almanza has spent the last 10 years understanding the scope of what a woman might encounter during birth, especially women of color. She researched the birthing experience of women living on Leech Lake Reservation, served as a preceptor and
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Sunshine is an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. In 2003, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management with a business focus from Si Tanka University at Huron. She facilitates the
As co-artistic director of Penumbra Theatre Company, Sarah Bellamy imagines a future where Penumbra is not only the nation’s leading African American theater troupe but also a beacon for reigniting a shared civic passion and responsibility for
Natalie Bergquist tells her students at Lower Brule Community College that college is their “sanctuary from negativity.” That is something she learned first-hand as a single mother, pursuing her college degree as a nontraditional student in her 30s
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Melissa is the mother of five children and 11 grandchildren. “I have always been a believer in gaining more knowledge and using it to pay it forward. I hope to inspire and support others to succeed in
As a college athlete, Marine, city council member and community volunteer, Malcom Chapman has spent the last three decades convening people to get things done. With the support of a Bush Fellowship, he now will turn his attention to learning how to
As a child, Laura Connelly learned the importance of a compassionate community—the value of people who feed you when you are hungry, who give you shelter when you are fleeing violence, who support you without judgment. Her work over the past 12 years
Native Nations Rebuilders Program (cohort 7) - Kenneth is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He is the Academic Student Advisor for the Indigenous Programs located in the Center for Rural Health at the University of North
