MSU Blanchard student named a 2008 national Udall Scholar

Contact: Kristin K. Anderson, University Relations: (517) 353-8819, cell (517) 282-8881, ander284@msu.edu

April 8, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Autumn Mitchell of Blanchard, a sophomore at Michigan State University, will use her 2008 Udall Scholarship to encourage the revitalization of tribal language programs.

Each year the Morris K. Udall Foundation awards 80 undergraduate scholarships of up to $5,000 to sophomores and juniors nationally who demonstrate commitment to careers in the environment, or to Native American and Alaska Native students committed to tribal public policy or health care issues.

“To me, receiving this scholarship means that somebody outside the tribal community is recognizing the importance of saving indigenous languages,” said Mitchell, a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. “This is a longstanding issue in indigenous communities, but it doesn’t often reach the mainstream. I hope the Udall Scholarship will enhance my ability to help my tribe retain our language.”

In high school, she volunteered at her local elementary school, helping with curriculum development for the Ojibwe language teachers.

“Autumn Mitchell has a clear and focused desire to revitalize indigenous languages by working in concert with her own and other tribal communities,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the MSU Honors College.

“She understands the importance of giving back to her community and has a commitment to making sure that her efforts toward language revitalization are sustainable. It is a joy to watch her eyes sparkle when she speaks of her plans for the future; it is obvious that Autumn embodies the ideals heralded by the Udall Foundation.”

As part of her mastery of linguistics and policy skills, Mitchell is studying the Ojibwe language, French and political science at MSU.

“I came to MSU because the university offers Ojibwe language classes,” Mitchell said. “My instructor, Helen Roy, a visiting lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages, has known me since I was five, and I think she is an excellent teacher.

“Ojibwe is structurally very different from English, and she can explain grammar in a way that makes it seem simple and easily understood.”

The Ojibwe (or Ojibwa) language, known to its own speakers as Anishinabe or Anishinaabemowin, is an Algonquian tongue spoken by people in the northern United States and Canada.

Mitchell, daughter of Kevin and Angela Mitchell, is linguistics major in the College of Arts and Letters, and a member of the Honors College. A 2006 graduate of Oasis High School, she expects to graduate from MSU in 2010. She plans to pursue an advanced degree at a Canadian university, partly because of the large population of Ojibwe in Canada.

“I greatly desire to see indigenous languages learned as a first language once more,” Mitchell said. “By working to assist with language efforts and overseeing language political initiatives, I would anticipate increasing the number and quality of those programs within tribal communities.”

At MSU, Mitchell is a Jingle Dress dancer and a cultural programmer with the North American Indigenous Student Organization and a facilitator for the international teaching assistants orientation program. She also speaks to student groups and classes about the history and culture of powwows. She was recently elected president of the MSU chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. She has participated in study abroad trips in Quebec City and the United Kingdom.

Besides Mitchell’s honor, Jackson-Elmoore noted that Marci Baranski of Suttons Bay received an honorable mention from the Udall Foundation in the 2008 competition.

Udall awards at MSU

• Autumn Mitchell is MSU’s eighth Udall Scholar since the program’s inception in 1996.

• Since 2000, MSU has had eight Udall Scholars

• The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and excellence in National Environment al Policy Foundation was authorized by Congress in 1992 to honor U.S. Rep. Udall’s legacy of public service. The foundation is supported by a trust fund in the U.S. Treasury and contributions from the private sector.

For more information visit the Web at www.udall.gov .

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