[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12459]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING RAE ANN RED OWL OF PINE RIDGE, SOUTH DAKOTA ON HER 
                       MASTER'S DEGREE IN NURSING

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, as my colleagues will attest, I routinely 
come to the Senate floor to discuss the numerous challenges facing 
Native Americans in my state, and across Indian Country. While I've 
spoken at length about the need to address Indian education, Indian 
health care, and economic development on Indian reservations, I am here 
today for a different reason: to congratulate one of my constituents on 
an extraordinary accomplishment.
  Earlier this month, Rae Ann Red Owl of the Pine Ridge Reservation 
became the first Lakota person, man or woman, to receive a master's 
degree from the nursing program at the University of North Dakota. More 
than that, when she walked across the stage, she became the first woman 
ever from Pine Ridge to earn a master's degree in nursing.
  While earning a master's degree is a remarkable achievement, for Rae 
Ann, this step represents yet another obstacle overcome in a long life 
of beating the odds. Rae Ann can trace her desire to attend college all 
the way back to when she was in fifth grade and had to get a ride to 
school with her grandfather because she had overslept and missed the 
school bus. As her grandfather drove her to school, he told her, 
``education is the most important thing in life.'' That advice made her 
decide right then and there that she wanted to attend college.
  Unfortunately, fulfilling dreams like this one is easier said than 
done in Indian Country. Rae Ann grew up on Pine Ridge, one of the 
poorest Indian reservations in the country. In a community where rates 
of alcohol and drug abuse are well above the national averages, Rae Ann 
was not immune to such pressures. But, instead of succumbing to these 
problems, she defeated them, and set a new course for her life.
  Rae Ann applied for, and was accepted to, the Indians Into Medicine 
Program at the University of North Dakota. As she set out to pursue her 
dream, she found herself away from her home and her family for the 
first time, all the while caring for her two young daughters. In 1989, 
after years of studying, she graduated with a nursing degree, returned 
to Pine Ridge, and landed a job working for the Indian Health Service. 
Twelve years later, she realized that, with additional training, she 
could do even more to improve the quality of life on Pine Ridge--
especially at the IHS--and returned to the University of North Dakota 
in 2002. Last month, Rae Ann received her master's degree in nursing. 
After hearing about all of Rae Ann's accomplishments, and about the 
adversity she's overcome, it will come as no surprise to my colleagues 
that she plans to continue her education by enrolling in law school 
this fall.
  When so many stories exist about the tremendous obstacles Native 
Americans face--in getting an education, gaining access to health care, 
and improving their quality of life--it is important for all of us to 
recognize success stories like Rae Ann's. Not only is Rae Ann a role 
model for her tribe, she is an example for all people who face 
adversity as they strive to fulfill their dreams. I would like to 
extend my personal congratulations on her recent achievement, and wish 
her the best of luck in all her future endeavors.

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