Trusted Adviser in Information Technology & Business with a focus on Native American success. IBMer, Tribal Business Expert, STEM Educator, and Fly-fisher!
I recently found the Harvard Business Review IdeaCast on iTunes. I came across a informative podcast called “Avoid These Career-Planning Fallacies” that talked about career paths of managers and executives, about 15 minutes long. In particular it was interesting to hear about the topics of job hopping, promotions, and international experience. For those looking for career insight, this is a great episode. I have added this channel to my podcast listening list on my iPhone. Here is the direct link to the blog where the audio is, enjoy!
I received a email this morning from one of the email lists I maintain. In it was a upcoming event of great interest to me personally because I knew this person’s family was from Paguate Village in Laguna Pueblo.
The email was about Dr Blue Spruce, Jr from Roxane Spruce Bly. I was only aware of the family growing up in Paguate and was very surprised to learn more about this individual.
The email read:
Recognized as the first American Indian Dentist, Dr. Blue Spruce, Jr. founded the Society of American Indian Dentists and is currently an Assistant Dean at the Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health where he has motivated many Native students to attend dental school and return to their tribal communities to practice.
His recently published autobiography, Searching for My Destiny recounts his childhood growing up at the Santa Fe Indian School and his parents’ determination that their children obtain college degrees. He describes the loneliness and challenges of leaving home and graduating from dental school at Creighton University as well as the excitement of a career that took him from Montana to New York City and South America.
Please join Dr. Blue Spruce Jr., his family, and friends to honor his contributions to Indian health and hear his personal memories of traveling between two cultures, facing prejudice, and conquering adversity to achieve the rank of Assistant Surgeon General of the United States.
Light refreshments will be served.
When: Saturday, June 26, 2010 at 3pm
Where: Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
2401 12th St. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
After reading this, I went about to find out what else more was on the internet, and here is what I uncovered for all the readers of my post here.
Here is the audio from the NPR event, the book review & interview start at about the 6 minute mark:
I have not read the book yet (it’s now on my list), but I’m sure there are some similarities in our paths dealing with mainstream culture vs native culture and learning away from home. I’m really looking forward to the event honoring Dr Blue Spruce, Jr at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. I’m sure there is plenty to learn from his journey.
I recently connected with a friend on twitter (@tlcgoodluck) and found out she works at the Native American Community Academy (NACA) in Albuquerque, NM. My family and I were invited to a Maori performance at the school on 5/13/2010 (these performers traveled all the way from New Zealand). We went and it was a great visit, I learned that many of the students at the school are from the surrounding tribes in NM and that a couple of the teachers were from Laguna Pueblo. The real goal for my visit was to meet with the science/math teachers so I can present about engineering/business/career to the kids in the future. It was a great afternoon seeing all the students, talking with several teachers, and watching the performance. Here a brief video of the Maori visit. Enjoy!
– Dom
* For better video & audio quality watch the 720p HD version.
I corresponded with one of the professors, Dr. Nader Vadiee and setup a date & time to talk to students in one of his pre-engineering classes. All the students in his class were from one of the tribes in the US.
I setup a video camera in the back of the classroom and recorded the event.
Here is a brief video of the beginning of the talk:
* For better video & audio quality watch the 720p HD version.
You can play the 1 hour and 12 minute audio file here:
Enjoy.
– Dom
* This event was captured using a Sony HDR-SR11 HD camera and a Sony ECM-HW2 Bluetooth Wireless Microphone. The footage was edited and rendered using Sony Vegas Movie Studio Plantinum 9.0, the video is 720p HD format, and the audio was exported to WAV format, run through the Levelator (to even out levels between when I talked and the students talked), then encoded to 64 kbit MP3 format using Audacity.
Dominic Pruitt 