MELANIE SANDOVAL - PRESERVING AND PROMOTING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES

Melanie was born on the Flathead Indian Reservation to a Séliš-Ql̓ispé mother and a Navajo father. Her father spoke Navajo as his first language, and Melanie remembers listening to her Grandmother speak Salish around the house. She began taking Salish language classes at around 12 years old, and now is one of only about a dozen fluent speakers of the Salish language. To Melanie, language was a direct connection to her community and provided a deep sense of belonging--a way to see through the eyes of her elders and access aspects of herself and her community that were previously inaccessible. From early on, Melanie knew she wanted to teach. After finishing her undergraduate degree in the late 90s, she went on to teach at public schools as well as Nk̓ʷusm, a Salish language school in Arlee, MT. Read more about Melanie Sandoval and learn about our graduate program!