Carina Miller on Success in Indian Country

Carina Miller on success: "Why are we accepting that [success] is not something that is part of an Indian identity?" Carina Miller's Leadership  Carina Miller has a unique skill set. She is committed to making her community a better place. She has the drive and persistence to see tough projects/times/conversations through. And, perhaps most importantly, her communication skills are excellent. The communication piece helps her explain her ideas and goals to others, even in difficult meetings, in a way that shows both respect for the individual, with conviction for her beliefs and values. The Plateau and the Big River Carina is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. She recently ran for tribal council, and was elected. I do not typically have many members of councils on the show because I think it is important to showcase those that serve and contribute to our communities in other ways, too. (note: this is not saying councils do not do so) But Carina's campaign caught my eye on social media. Specifically, Carina's reasons for running for tribal council. I even shared one of her Facebook posts last year on the NextGen Native page because of how moved I was by her thoughts. So she ran for council, and she won. Seeing a young woman elected to council was awesome! But it wasn't always easy. Carina discusses the different, difficult conversations she engaged during the campaign. One of the common refrains (listen to the episode for more background) was that she was "too white" for council. The most disturbing part was not the statement itself but what really lay below the statement. Carina dug, and people acknowledged that it was that she had been successful in her ventures that they believed to be non-Native.   I really hope that we can find our own versions of success, that we do not shun it for fear of it being something other than Native. Carina is working on that in her community. We need more people like Carina. We go deep on a variety of issues around being Native, striving for success, and working to make positive change in our communities. It's a conversation that is worth listening to multiple times. For all the details, listen to the episode. You can also listen on: iTunes Stitcher