A new video series from the Cherokee Nation spotlights Cherokee youth who embrace the culture and legacy of the nation. Jacey Phillips, a high school junior, is a member of Future Farmers of America, Native Youth in Agriculture, and next year she plans to start a Native American Student Association chapter at her school, Chelsea High School in Chelsea, Oklahoma.
“Our Native American seniors can’t get any scholarships or anything because they’re not involved with an organization… if you’re not in an actual organization and doing stuff, you can’t get the scholarships,” Jacey says in the video. “That’s one reason why we started NASA, so we could help our Native American kids get scholarships to go to college.”
Aside from learning her language, Jacey has also learned the tradition of canning. “That is one way that I have learned some of my culture. That’s something that’s been passed down from generation to generation in our family, and that’s one thing I feel pretty proud to know how to do,” Jacey says in the video.
Jacey wants to study agriculture and tribal law, or perhaps nursing when she goes to college.
Learn more about Jacey by watching the video below: