Reno Reporter

A University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) student is asking people to remember Native American Heritage Month, which is celebrated in November.

Kari Emm is a member of the Yerington Paiute Tribe, according to a press release from the university. She attended UNR and said she wants to be a role model for her community.

"We are powerful, unbeatable and skilled at enduring hardship,” Emm said in the release.

Eleni Oikonomidoy, associate dean of the College of Education and Human Development, is Emm's doctoral advisor and said she has developed nurturing relationships with children in her community.

“It has been an immense honor to work with Kari over the last few years,” Oikonomidoy said. “One of the main aims of our degree is to bring to the spotlight the experiences and contributions of those who have been historically excluded. Kari’s exemplary research does just that. It sheds light on the experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native transfer students.”

Emm has taken doctoral courses on equity and diversity and is using her conversation with the students in her community in her dissertation, the release stated. The objective of the program in equity and diversity is to give students the skills to be advocates through research and teaching.

Emm used her research to "highlight the qualities of American Indian/Alaska Native students,” according to the release. “So many times, others feed into negative stereotypes, and I wanted to change the lens of negativity to one of strength."

She grew up on the Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation near Schurz, Nevada, and used her experience to guide her in writing her dissertation, the release stated.