Pevehe-ene’setovoostahe, Oestone’e na’hesevehe. Good afternoon, my name is Danielle Freemont and my Cheyenne name means Gives-Gifts-to-the-Spirits.
I graduated from Chief Dull Knife College in 2015 with an Associates of Science. While attending CDKC, I was a research intern and a member of the rocket club. Our rocket team, the Morning Stars, traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin where we won the tribal competition. The prize was a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Afterwards, I was selected to attend and speak at the Space Grant Consortium conference in Washington, D.C. and met Bill Nye “the science guy”. Truthfully, I never did well in science classes throughout elementary and highschool. There seemed a disconnect between student and institution that the college was able to bridge in order to provide those valuable foundations of STEM. Accredit to smaller classes, great teachers and access to resources.
Confidently, I applied for the Wildlife Biology program at the University of Montana and was accepted. The University of Montana has one of the best wildlife biology programs in the country. The classes were intimidating and challenging but they furthered my understanding of how the world works. I scored a summer job at the Yellowstone National Park spraying invasive plant species as a partnership between the park and the UM’s Native American Natural Resource Program. The next summer, I worked for the Cheyenne Tribe as a Natural Resource Technician and mapped prairie dog towns throughout the reservation. One of the most influential opportunities I took part in was being a recipient of the Native Student Professional Developmental program. Each year the Native Peoples Wildlife Management Working Group of the Wildlife Society selects a handful of undergraduate and graduate students to attend the Wildlife Society conference. This specific opportunity opened my eyes to the need for tribal perspectives and participation in wildlife management. I attended the conference while it was hosted in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cleveland, Ohio and Spokane, Washington. I earned my Bachelor's of Science degree in Wildlife Biology as a member of the graduating class of 2018.
Today, I am a scientific technician for the Westmoreland Rosebud Mine in Colstrip, MT, going on 5 years this summer. My job focus now involves mainly hydrology but also other natural resource aspects of mine operations. I would like to thank Chief Dull Knife college for providing a much needed launchpad to the next level. I would also like to thank the Westmoreland Rosebud Mine Northern Cheyenne student scholarship for funding my time as an undergraduate. Also, I would like to thank my children for being my inspiration and motivation. "Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning " - Bruce Lee.