{"id":95,"date":"2015-10-20T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=95"},"modified":"2024-04-02T15:31:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T22:31:05","slug":"luhui-whitebear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/luhui-whitebear\/","title":{"rendered":"Blazing a trail"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whitebear’s success, advice show Native students the way forward<\/h2>\n

Luhui Whitebear is on Part 3 of her trilogy as an Oregon State University student. First she earned a degree in ethnic studies on campus in Corvallis, then a second bachelor\u2019s degree in anthropology online with Oregon State Ecampus.<\/p>\n

\"Luhui

Oregon State graduate student Luhui Whitebear stands outside OSU’s Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws, where she serves as assistant director.<\/p><\/div>\n

And \u2013 if you can believe it \u2013 her third act involves a trio of OSU graduate programs: She earned a master\u2019s degree in interdisciplinary studies on campus this spring, is working toward a graduate certificate in public health through Ecampus and will start an on-campus Ph.D. program in women, gender and sexuality studies this fall.<\/p>\n

Every step of the way, Luhui has immersed herself in the extensive support system for Native American students at Oregon State. It helped guide her to success as an undergraduate, and now she provides guidance to a new generation of students as assistant director of OSU\u2019s Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Luhui says such support is vital for students who are conditioned to aim low.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the students I work with have been told they aren\u2019t college material over and over again,\u201d said Luhui, who was the first person in her family to graduate high school. \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that Native Americans do not have a high rate of college degree obtainment, and this is part of the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having witnessed firsthand the low expectations for students like her, Luhui became determined to chart a different course for herself. She got a taste of academic success at Oregon State and, a dozen years after earning her first degree, hasn\u2019t slowed down for anything. (In fact, she was pregnant with her third child and working full time in 2012 when she enrolled online with Ecampus to finish her anthropology degree.)<\/p>\n

Luhui has spent her entire professional career helping Native American students navigate their way to a college degree. For 10 years she was a college advisor for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon, and in 2013 she joined OSU\u2019s Ina Haws.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NAL served as a primary support for me that ensured my academic success at OSU,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is pretty much my dream job, helping Native students get through the college experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Luhui’s own college experience continues at Oregon State. She has one foot in each world \u2013 enrolled simultaneously in graduate programs on campus and online. She’s enjoying the unique qualities of and similarities between each learning environment.<\/p>\n

And considering that she’s on her second go-round as an Ecampus student, her opinion on the quality of the online learning experience at OSU carries weight.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe academic component of the courses is very comparable to the on-campus experience,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cThe instructors put a lot of time and energy developing their classes so their students are able to gain a great deal of knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

True to her mission, Luhui will pass on that knowledge to every student she meets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 2<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Throughout her multiple experiences as an online learner with Oregon State, Luhui Whitebear has immersed herself in OSU’s extensive support system for Native American students. It helped guide her to success as an undergraduate, and now she provides guidance to a new generation of students as assistant director of OSU\u2019s Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[470],"class_list":["post-95","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives","tag-tribal-communities"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-1x","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1344,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/native-american-students-benefit\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":0},"title":"Paying it forward to benefit Indigenous students","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"November 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Luhui Whitebear has been closely connected to Oregon State University\u2019s Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws in different ways during her academic career. While pursuing an anthropology bachelor\u2019s degree online with Oregon State Ecampus, she would drop in whenever she came to campus to pick up books. Now, as assistant director of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Cultural-resource-centers-Ecampus-news-744x478-210924-Kaku-Ixt-Mana-Ina-Haws.png?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":529,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/jerry-kight\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":1},"title":"As long as you have the will, it\u2019s never too late to find your way to a degree.","author":"Heather Doherty","date":"July 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University's oldest graduate, 74-year-old Jerry Kight, earned his degree in liberal studies online through Oregon State Ecampus. \u201cI\u2019m proud of myself and my wife for helping me do this and encouraging me to do it, and my kids, also,\u201d Jerry says.","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Oregon State's oldest 2017 graduate, Jerry Kight, poses with Benny the Beaver on graduation day.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Jerry-and-Benny.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Jerry-and-Benny.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Jerry-and-Benny.jpg?fit=638%2C410&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2035,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/2022-graduation-feature-story\/","url_meta":{"origin":95,"position":2},"title":"On five continents, a record 1,680 Oregon State students earn their degrees online","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"June 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Nearly one in four members of the Oregon State University graduating Class of 2022 completed their degree requirements online through Oregon State Ecampus. 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