Alicia Rusthoven, a Lewis family descendant, participated in a 70-day bicycle ride to support the fight against cancer. The 4,000 mile ride runs from Austin, Texas, to Anchorage, Alaska, and is the longest annual charity bike ride in the world.
For the past seven years, Sarah Garrison has taught grade school in her hometown of Seiling, Oklahoma. This year, she was named 2023 Elementary Teacher of the Year.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member Audrey Kiefer is helping people reach for the stars with Axiom Space, the leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure.
In her first cookbook, Chef Loretta Barrett Oden shares personal stories of growing up near Shawnee, Oklahoma, among a group of “grandmothers and aunties,” who taught her about Potawatomi cooking and “using the fruits of the forest, stream or plain,” according to a press release announcing the book.
Writing is nothing new to author and Tribal member Kaitlin Curtice, but in October, she expects to release her first children’s book. Winter’s Gifts, available starting Oct. 31, tells the story of a Potawatomi girl named Dani (dah-nee) and the way she and her family celebrate the Winter Solstice.
CPN member Lauren Hardin and her husband, Matthew Hardin, decided to start their own business in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, with the goal of working for themselves and having flexibility. With support from the Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Community Development Corporation, they are optimistic about the future.
The 2023 Family Reunion Festival saw many entries for its art contests, with pieces ranging from beading to woodwork and sketches to sculptures. Laura Hewuse took first place in the professional category of the adult art competition for her “Two Brothers, One Nation” hand-beaded bandolier bags.
Tribal member Cadence Barreda began acting at the age of 4, and made her directorial debut at 17 with Game Night. Barreda won the Silver Award at the Red Nation Celebration Institute’s Native Indigenous Student Academy for Cinematic Arts. She was also a finalist at the Student World Impact Film Festival for best student short in May 2023 and won Best Short at Finger Mullet Film Festival in St. Augustine, Florida.
A Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member recently became the newest franchisee of an Oklahoma business dedicated to preserving homes. Blake Elwell opened a branch of Preservan in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The business repairs homes using an epoxy material for a long-lasting and environmentally sustainable solution.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal member Vivian Hayes is new to high school wrestling, but she has already begun to make her mark in the sport, becoming one of the first female wrestlers from her school to qualify for state under a regional format.