Alliance for Catholic Education
Emma Dudrick (‘22) and Connor Martin (‘23) are recent University of Notre Dame graduates who are utilizing their talents in education and engineering to serve Indigenous communities in Nebraska and South Dakota.
Dudrick (ACE 29, Stockton) taught fourth grade through the two-year ACE Teaching Fellows master’s program. She now teaches fourth grade at St. Augustine Indian Mission School in Winnebago, Nebraska, which was founded by St. Katherine Drexel in 1907 and serves students from the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) and Omaha tribal nations. It is one of eight partner schools in the American Indian Catholic Schools Network (AICSN). AICSN strives to create a foundation of mutual leadership that encourages and supports each of the schools in its ministry, while strengthening their collective ability to facilitate collaboration, provide professional development opportunities, and conduct research.
Martin works as an environmental engineer at the Indian Health Service through the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service as a Lieutenant Junior Grade commissioned officer.
Along with being friends and serving Indigenous populations, Dudrick and Martin both took an undergraduate class that would prove more significant than they realized at the start. It was Will Newkirk’s Indigenous Communities Seminar through the Institute for Social Concerns. Through this seminar, students discussed historical and contemporary opportunities and challenges facing Native communities. The seminar culminated with a trip to St. Mary’s Mission School, an AICSN partner school on the Red Lake Nation in Minnesota.
A Path To Discernment
The experience at St. Mary’s Mission School was pivotal in Dudrick’s discernment. She previously considered participating in the Peace Corps or Teach for America. As Dudrick explained, “From my experience at St. Mary’s, I knew that I wanted to teach on a reservation. I was really impressed by the work that St. Mary’s did with those kids, and I thought (ACE) would be a worthwhile opportunity to pursue.”
Dudrick, who is in the midst of her first academic year at St. Augustine’s, has been impressed by the academic environment at the school. One important feature of the school is small class sizes, which has allowed Dudrick to form really close relationships with each student. Along with having small class sizes and a vibrant community, Dudrick said, “The school does a really good job connecting Catholicism with Ho-Chunk and Omaha culture.” She continued, “Parents really trust the school to educate their students.” Dudrick has valuable mentors in Amber Gamble, the sixth grade teacher and vice principal, and Kelly Hernandez, a middle school teacher. By teaching at St. Augustine’s, she has learned a great deal about Native culture. She attended a traditional funeral, formed great relationships with families, and learned about cultural practices such as wasgu, a traditional corn harvesting method.
Making An Impact On The World
Martin knew that he wanted to leverage his engineering expertise to make a positive impact in the world. As he put it, “I wanted to have an impact-driven, service-driven career.”
Through his work, Martin works on sanitation facilities projects on behalf of the Indian Health Services for several tribal nations including the Yankton Sioux, Rosebud Sioux, Santee Sioux, and Omaha in southern South Dakota and northern Nebraska. Martin has known since college that he wanted to utilize engineering knowledge as a means to improve health.
College experiences, such as an internship with the National Institutes of Health, confirmed Martin’s desire to serve under-resourced communities. Nationally, Native communities have a great need for infrastructure support. This is particularly true in Martin’s area of expertise. As he said, “If you are someone who wants to make an impact, particularly in water and wastewater—Indian country is the place to do it.”
Newkirk’s seminar played an important role in Martin’s professional development. “I think I’m a far better engineer because of the Indigenous Communities Seminar,” said Martin, “The course improved my ability to empathize with the communities that I work with and really understand the fullness of their experiences, both as resilient communities and as communities facing difficulties.”
An important element of Martin’s work is connecting tribes to different resource and nonprofit actors that can help to expand their capacity. He has also been able to engage with culturally rich aspects of the Indigenous communities with whom he works. Martin said, “I frequently travel for different projects, and I try to be as involved as I can in powwows and trial events. Powwow season is awesome.”
Building A Strong Future for American Indian Catholic Communities
Dudrick and Martin’s journeys exemplify the profound impact that young professionals can have when they dedicate their talents to service-driven careers. Both have embraced the opportunity to learn from and contribute to the rich traditions of the Ho-Chunk, Omaha, Lakota, and other tribal nations. Their work demonstrates the value of practical, community-focused work that contributes meaningfully to the well-being of individuals and communities.