Leaving a Path for Those who Follow: Dr. Priscilla Day

Authors

  • Susan E. Smalling

Keywords:

Child Welfare, Indigenous Populations

Abstract

Dr. Priscilla Day is a mother of three, grandmother of seven, a pipe carrier and Ogichidaakwe on a traditional Big Drum in her Leech Lake Tribal community, a social work professor, and a national leader for American Indian child welfare research and policy. Dr. Day has managed all these roles and responsibilities while consistently keeping the needs of Indigenous communities paramount in her life and work. She has led efforts to work on child welfare disparities for American Indian children resulting in yearly intensive training for tribal welfare workers, curriculums specific to the needs of individual tribal communities, and the creation of an Indian Child Welfare court. She has mentored countless students through social work masters degrees, developing future leaders for the field. Dr. Day does all this work focused not on the outcomes but the process. She leads by creating common goals; affirming and using the strengths of all involved and being sure all parties can both hear and be heard.

Downloads

Published

2017-08-29

How to Cite

Smalling, S. E. (2017). Leaving a Path for Those who Follow: Dr. Priscilla Day. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 21(2), 56–60. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/1583