Summary: So guys, Gillian is awesome...If you were looking at her episode cover photo you would see that she's sitting cross legged on a horse. I feel like I don't need to say anything else... Just kidding, there's plenty I can say about this amazing lady. Gillian and I spent a summer together on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota in shall we say, close living quarters. We got to know each other very well, and I'm so grateful to have met her because I gained not only a wonderful friend, but a trusted connection in a very niche field that we both have a trajectory toward. Gillian is a Lakota woman- her father grew up in South Dakota Indian Country. Gillian was raised in an intentional way that integrated her cultural background into her day to day, but she is the first to say that she would consider her upbringing privileged. Gillian grew up in a traditional, middle class environment in North Carolina, and this past summer was her first stay on a reservation. Gillian is currently attending George Washington University, and she is the co-founder/co-president for GW students for Indigenous and Native American Rights. My conversation with Gillian is tough in the sense that talking about anything related to social issues and cultural "competence" always is, but I hope your take away is that these are conversations we need to be having, and often.
