Student Leadership Program (SLP)

 Edison

Graduate, Little Big Horn College

Edison grew up in Lodge Grass, Montana. His grandmother, Ione Jefferson, raised him. His grandmother worked as a teacher’s aide at the Lodge Grass Elementary School for many years. She was a loving and influential role model in his life.

Edison graduated as the Valedictorian at Lodge Grass High School in 2007 and went directly to Montana State University-Bozeman where he majored in university studies. After one year, he came back home and completed an externship with the Indian Health Service at Crow Agency in the pharmacy department. After the summer ended, he knew it was not the career for him. After staying home a year, he decided to return to college. He heard about the Student Leadership Program, so he applied to Little Big Horn College.

Edison entered the leadership program and became an inspirational student. He grew from a quiet, shy young man, and became a recognized leader at the college. He is the president of the college’s American Indians in Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and is a member of the college’s American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) student team. 

Edison works on a research project at the college and studies mosquitoes on the Crow Reservation in the summer. After trapping samples, Edison analyzes their RNA to determine if they are members of the species that carry West Nile Virus to assess the risk of West Nile Virus on the Crow Reservation. Through this project, Edison has given poster presentations at four symposia nationwide. He gained valuable speaking skills and self-confidence through his presentations, which he attributes to his involvement in the Student Leadership Program (SLP).

Edison says the leadership program helped him become the person he is today. He sees growth in his maturity and recognizes the value of getting his work in on time, taking time to do a high quality job, taking the initiative to be a role model for other students, and not being afraid to talk in class. Prior to being in the SLP, Edison felt that he just needed to do the minimum, but after learning the importance of going beyond what is expected he has become much more motivated to keep his grades high. Edison knows other students have noticed because they have made comments to him such as, “It’s cool what you leadership students do.”

After graduating from Little Big Horn College, Edison has decided to return to Montana State University. He plans to major in community health and possibly go on to earn a master's degree in public health. He really wants to make a difference by using a community or public health career to increase his community’s awareness on the reservation of health issues and health disparities.

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