Indigenous Pad

 Kia ora! This week is the first week back for students as we start the spring semester. This is usually after a winter break for many. This means a busy campus full of life, and I love that. It has been relatively quiet the last few weeks as all the classes here have been online, but I am really happy to see so many people here, even the lecturers and professors.  The first day of the spring semester in the main hall (photo by UMASS Boston) So a little about UMASS Boston. To get here, I take a subway train to JFK UMASS Station and then there are free buses for staff and students to get to the campus. It's also a 10-15 minute walk. Boston State College merged with UMASS Boston in 1982.  The weather has been erratic over the last few weeks. The snow has been quite heavy during the last two days, and I've been told it is nothing compared to what will happen in the upcoming weeks.  I decided to come to UMASS Boston, because I loved the idea of coming to a public researc...

  Will with the author, Deborah Savage Flight of the albatross was one of my favourite books growing up. My favourite is coming-of-age stories. It was a book written in the 1980s by American author Deborah Savage.  Earlier last year, I thought about the Flight of the albatross book. So I decided to google search Deborah Savage and found she lives in a town near the University of Massachusetts Amherst. So we decided to catch up when I went to Amherst in December.  A bit about the book: it's about two young people, Sarah and Mako. Sarah is from New York City and travelled to Aotearoa to visit her scientist mother. She meets Mako, who is Māori, and they both navigate a shared adventure with challenges on Kauri island, where the book is based. A movie came out in 1995, which can be watched on the New Zealand Film on Demand website, which I highly recommend.  It was nice to catch up with Deborah. She talked about her time coming to Aotearoa New Zealand, in her early 20s. ...

Outside of UMASS Boston It's time to start writing a blog about my Fulbright adventure in Boston. First, let me go back to when I applied for this award. I found out about a year that I was a successful recipient. For many, a Fulbright award is a massive deal. The opportunity to spend time in the United States to work on a research project. I've been to the States three times beforehand but have yet to go to Boston. This city is the academic city of the world, with more than 35 universities and colleges here. So I knew I wanted to come here. I've spent my time, passion, energy, and work focused on better outcomes for our young people, particularly Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand. I wanted to work on a research project focusing on indigenous youth. So I choose the topic of how language, culture, and identity feature in the schooling experiences of Native American Youth. My time in Boston will also give me a glimpse of how indigenous people see the world. I decided to come to...