The Outstanding Scholar Award is given to applicants who we feel are utilizing their studies in promising ways, and show innovative and creative ideas for how they plan to build on their studies to bring healing and safety to our communities.
EM
LOERZEL
Em is a White Earth Anishinaabekwe who received her BA in Sociology at Elmhurst College and her MSW at Aurora University. Prior to receiving her MSW, she worked as a case manager in the fields of chronic mental health management, homelessness, and domestic violence. She moved her focus to working within the Chicago American Indian community as a community organizer and co-wrote and developed a Dept. Of Justice grant called Project Beacon, a pilot grant oriented towards building up direct services and outreach for urban Native American survivors of human trafficking. Currently as a second year Social Welfare PhD student at the University of Washington, her work and research is around intimate partner violence in the Native community, sex trafficking of Native women, and bringing in Indigenous ways of knowing into the classroom.