erin stanley B A S W ‘ 0 1 , M S W ‘ 0 2 , A S S I S TA N T D I R E C T O R – H O N O R P R O J E C T, N AT I V E W E L L N E S S C E N T E R Whatever she was going to do in life, Erin Stanley knew early on that she wanted to work with people. “I wanted to be working with the tribes, with indigenous people,” she explains. “It always just felt right.” Erin spent her early years in Taholah, on Quinault Indian Nation lands that hug the rugged Washington coast. In college, she felt a little lost, one of only a few Native students at a university far from home. Then she heard that the UW School of Social Work had recently hired two Native American professors. Two? That was unprecedented. Erin packed her bags and headed to Seattle. Erin completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in social work in 2001 and her masters a year later. She is now the assistant director of the Honor Project, a research project of the Native Wellness Center. The Wellness Center is a research center for practice and policy. It was founded in 2002 by Associate Professor Katrina Walters and Assistant Professor Tessa Evans-Campbell, the two distinguished professors whose presence at the school had drawn Erin to it. The Honor Project examines health and wellness issues among “two spirit” people, Native gay, lesbian, and transsexual men and women, and is one of six research and training projects currently underway at the center. “To work with these two women in this environment is a gift,” says Erin. “We’re creating a real community here. It’s so inspiring to see two Native women researchers who work in such a respectful way with the community. They teach us to let the community drive the work and that the answers lie with the people.” Only about 50% of Native American students make it to high school graduation. The example of Native people succeeding in college can be a powerful inspiration for kids trying to make it. Five years ago, there were only two Native students in the School of Social Work. Last year twelve Native students graduated; four candidates will enter the PhD program in the fall. “I was never even looking for this job, I didn’t imagine it could exist,” says Erin of her research with the Native Wellness Center.