Jan 30, 2018 11:33 am
After dropping out of high school in ninth grade, Amy Eveskcige did not necessarily believe college was in her future. None of her family members had attended college, but they ultimately encouraged her to finish her high school diploma. Eveskcige enrolled in a vocational program that allowed her to finish her high school diploma while also earning a professional certificate.
The certificate allowed her to work as a secretary at Chief Leschi Schools, operated by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians. Eveskcige, a Puyallup Tribal member, was encouraged by her elders to consider going to college.
“I was so nervous, because I never thought college was a place for me,” she said. “I didn’t think it was a setting that I belonged in because it wasn’t something anyone in my family had pursued before.”
Although she was not prepared to attend a four-year university, she liked the idea of attending Pierce College, where she would enjoy smaller class sizes and more personal interaction with her professors. “Pierce College was just what I expected it to be,” she said. “It was a place where I could be successful, and it was very rewarding to get to know my professors. The support I received from counselors and advisors was wonderful, and very important because I was working full time and going to school full time.”
With the help of her advisors, Eveskcige managed to graduate in two years.
Her passion for finishing her education did not end after her time at Pierce. She applied and was rejected several times from University of Puget Sound. Her persistence paid off eventually in the form of an acceptance letter that was sent to her parents’ house. “I still remember my mother stopping in the middle of the street, yelling for everyone to hear, ‘my daughter is going to college!’”
She continued working full time at Chief Leschi while finishing her bachelor’s degree in psychology. “I wanted so badly to show people that I’m capable of finishing college, so others behind me can have these same opportunities,” she said. “As a first generation college student, you’re helping build the pathway for others. It wasn’t easy work, but it was necessary work.”
Eveskcige attended University of Washington for her doctoral program and principal’s credentials. She took a break from her doctoral studies after starting a family and ultimately earned her doctorate from Washington State University.
Eveskcige worked in a variety of teaching and administrative positions throughout the Tacoma and Puyallup school districts until a superintendent’s position opened at Chief Leschi in 2015.
“It felt like the appropriate time for me to consider coming home,” she said. “I was very blessed to have the opportunity to interview and speak with the community, parents and staff, and ultimately be selected to serve the community I was raised in.”
Eveskcige is the first Puyallup Tribal member to hold this position of leadership at the school. “My heart is full,” she said. “There is a sense of urgency, because we have so much work to do. Not just for the kids in school today, but for those seven generations from now.”