Faith Begay, shown posing with U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, currently works as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.
Lakota, Dine’ woman first graduate of Duke University program
By Dr. Archie Beauvais (Sicangu Lakota) WASHINGTON –– Faith Begay of the Lower Brule Sioux reservation in South Dakota is a very dynamic Native graduate student who earned her Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree from Duke University in May 2015 with great distinction. Faith is Kul Wicasa Lakota, Sicangu Lakota and Diné. Faith is accustomed to superb academic achievement as she is the first Native woman to graduate from Duke's School of Public Policy with a graduate degree. Duke is located in Durham, North Carolina, and is home to 6,646 students. In fact, when asked to characterize Faith’s tenure as a graduate student at Duke, Helen McAdams, the Director of Student Services for the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke said, “The Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University is proud to call Faith Begay, the first Native American student to complete our Master of Public Policy (MPP) Program, an alumna. Faith enrolled in the MPP Program in August 2013, and from the start her superior academic abilities and strong work ethic, and dedication to improving the lives of Native Americans by creating economic opportunities for their communities distinguished her as an outstanding student.” Faith is the daughter of Julie Brinckmeyer who currently lives and works in Lower Brule, and Robert Begay who currently lives and works in Aberdeen.
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