Why I am Running: "What Grandma Would Do"

Aug 9

3 min read

I’ve been thinking about my grandma a lot lately. July was her and Grandpa’s birthday month, but it was also her favorite holiday: the 4th of July.

This month passes every year, and it is always a mix of celebration on her behalf and sadness that she doesn’t get to be with me during this stage of my life.

My grandma had a passion for children. She always used to say that if the only thing people remembered about her after she was gone was her passion for children, that would be enough in life. She is the inspiration behind my entire campaign.

She used to tell me that I was fortunate to have opportunities she never had. As a Dakota woman, she understood the barriers that Native people and many others faced throughout their lives. She taught me that if I had a voice in rooms where others weren’t represented, then I had a responsibility to use it.

That lesson has stayed with me.

When my oldest daughter was starting kindergarten in 2024, I was COMPLETELY overwhelmed with the whole process. I grew up in rural northern Minnesota, just outside Bemidji, in a school that had six classes, one class per grade, K–5. I barely remembered what starting elementary school was like, with nothing to be said about what it was like for the parents!

I was hesitant to sign up for the Matoska Parent Teacher Organization because I didn’t know what I was doing, but I just kept thinking, “This is what Grandma would do.” So I decided to sign up. At the very least, I thought it would help me figure out what I was doing alongside fellow parents who also didn’t know what they were doing, or other parents who could advise those of us newbies.

I jumped in with both feet, volunteering, running the merch table, and asking ALL the questions of anyone I could connect with to learn more about what we do and how we do it, so that maybe someone else who didn’t feel comfortable asking the questions could also better understand.

What I learned is that we don’t need a couple people who handle everything, what we really need is more people doing a little bit, because we are ALL out here just trying to do our best!

Toward the end of that first year on the PTO, current school board member and now Chair Scott Arcand was our school board representative at Matoska. He attended our monthly meetings to provide updates from school board meetings and stay in tune with what was happening in our school. He asked me if I would ever consider running for school board.

To which my first instinct was NO!......well…..maybe……the idea was planted.

Two more years on the PTO as chair, falling more in love with this community and seeing how this school, the teachers, and these parents show up for these kids every day, and receiving kind words of encouragement from educators that my kids and I both looked up to, I decided now was the time.

As a Dakota woman, I was raised with values of respect, wisdom, compassion, honesty, generosity, humility, and courage. I believe those values belong in public service. They remind us to think beyond ourselves and consider the impact our decisions will have on future generations.

I’m running because I believe public education is one of the most important investments a community can make. Every student deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. If I can help create a school system where even one child has more support, more opportunity, or a stronger sense of belonging than I did, then this work is worth it.

At the end of the day, I’m running because I believe that if you have the ability to help your community, you should step forward and serve.

This is what my grandma would have wanted me to do.

She would have been so proud, and thought I was so brave!