School holds first Honoring Ceremony for American Indian graduates

The Center for Indigenous People, Health, and Nursing of North America at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing hosted its first Honoring Ceremony May 14 to celebrate the graduation of four students in the Pathway to Doctoral Education for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Nurses.

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates included Haley Warren, White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Family Nurse Practitioner specialty; Lisa Jayme Whitewater, Navajo, Health Innovation and Leadership specialty; Danielle MacLaurin, Fort William First Nation, post-master’s DNP; and Anna E. Adams, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, post-master’s DNP.

“You, as healers, scholars, advocates and leaders, will carry forward important traditions of caring for community, while helping to shape a stronger and more equitable future in healthcare. We are so proud of you,” said Clinical Associate Professor Lisa Martin Rennicke, PhD, RN, PHN, AHN-BC, FAAN, Lac Du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

Professor Margaret Moss, PhD, JD, RN, FAAN, FADLN, Hidatsa/Dakhóta, associate dean for Policy, Access, and Ethics, explained the significance of the medicine bags gifted to those in attendance and the smudging ceremony.

Marika Moss, Hidatsa/Dakhóta, Mashkiki Studios, led the smudging with Minnesota Prairie Sage for grounding and centering.

Marika Moss presented each graduate with an eagle feather, noting it is one of the highest honors a person can receive and should only be touched by the person it belongs to or those have been given permission.

“The eagle spirit represents strength, courage, wisdom, protection and responsibility to walk in a good way,” said Marika Moss. “Take care of your feather and it will take care of you.”

Students offered reflections on their academic experiences, acknowledging challenges, expressing gratitude, and looking ahead with hope.

Clinical Professor Misty Wilkie, PhD, RN, FAAN, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa/Métis, Pathway to Doctoral Education for AI/AN Nurses director, delivered the keynote, sharing her journey from discovering nursing to founding Niganawenimaanaanig for baccalaureate-prepared Indigenous nurses to now leading the Pathway to Doctoral Education for AI/AN Nurses.

“This work is not just about degrees. It’s about creating spaces where Indigenous students feel seen, valued, welcomed and supported without losing their cultural identity in the process. It’s about ensuring our future healthcare leaders know they belong in these spaces,” said Wilkie. 

Wilkie led the Blanketing Ceremony, guiding families to wrap graduates in maroon and gold star quilts, and presented graduates with beaded stethoscopes.

“Blanketing is another form of honoring our Indigenous relatives for something that they’ve accomplished, to send them safely onto the next chapter of their life as they’re wrapped in the blessings and the comfort of the blanket and the well wishes that come with that,” said Wilkie.

Dylan Daniels, BSN, RN, Winnebago Ho-Chunk, Dine’ descendent and incoming DNP student, performed the Honor Song during a receiving line, when those in attendance congratulated graduates.

The Center for American Indian and Minority Health provided the satin star quilts and stethoscopes for each of the graduates.

The University of Minnesota has the highest enrollment of American Indian/Alaska Native doctoral students in the country. Since launching the Pathway to Doctoral Education for AI/AN Nurses in 2022, nine students have graduated.