We are thrilled to announce that Brooke Rodriguez and Alexandria Cruz have completed their year as Indigenous Communities Fellows at MIT SOLVE. This prestigious fellowship, dedicated to uplifting technology-based solutions for Indigenous communities, has provided Brooke and Alexandria with invaluable training, connections, and opportunities to advance their work and make a lasting impact in their communities.
Brooke Rodriguez, the founder of Grinding Stone Collective, attended Solve’s annual flagship meeting, Solve Challenge Finals, convening with the full Solver class and leaders from various corporations, foundations, nonprofit organizations, government, academia, and the media and presented their pitch discussing how Indigenous knowledge is the world's oldest technology, our original big data. Their solution, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge & First Foods, was one of eight Indigenous solvers selected for the 2022-23 cycle.
Throughout the fellowship, Brooke explored professional development through Executive Coaching with Karla Garcia Teruel from Growth Empowered, presented at Holon IQ, and attended the US Equity Summit 2023 hosted by MIT Solve in Tulsa! Through the fellowship, Brooke has collaborated with experts and scholars at MIT, gaining new insights and building a network of like-minded professionals committed to Indigenous empowerment.
Alex worked with has used her fellowship to further the mission of the First Foods Program, which promotes Indigenous food sovereignty and environmental stewardship. Along with attending cohort calls, she managed GSC's first intern, Jayashabari Shankar, a student at MIT supported by the PKG IAP: Indigenous Communities Internship program, in collaboration with MIT Solve that matches cohorts of MIT students with community organizations to learn firsthand about the context of diverse Indigenous communities in the US and how they are achieving their social, environmental, and economic goals. Her support was instrumental in updating database info on Indigenous food producers, restaurants, and chefs across the country.
Brooke and Alex were also fortunate enough to add their expertise to MIT's Cities and Climate Change Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) course, where they shared their presentation titled "Growing Justice: Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Land Rights" to students on campus and around the globe. They were equally fortunate to work with a team of students enrolled in the spring 2023 course MIT Indigenous Environmental Planning Class led by professors Janelle Y. Knox-Hayes, Gabriella Y. Carolini, and Ph.D. student Jacqueline Paul. Their concept, “Reconciliation Gardens” was created with support from MIT students Sammi Aibinder, Nizar Ahmed, Nabeel Khan, Austin Cole, Rafael Olivera-Cintron, Lah Soukkaseum, and Wilson Marshall. Their commitment to the project was invaluable in creating a proposal for a future garden on campus that Native students can utilize and taking steps to lay the groundwork for future creation. It has now been passed on to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society and the Native American Student Association at MIT as the future Indigenous leaders on campus
As Brooke and Alexandria conclude their fellowship, we celebrate their achievements and look forward to the continued impact of their work. Their journey with the Indigenous Communities Fellowship at MIT is a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the unwavering commitment to creating a better future for Indigenous communities. Congratulations, Brooke Rodriguez and Alexandria Cruz, on this remarkable milestone!
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