As students and faculty found their seats in the library late in the afternoon on November 20, Jean Belford, Chair of the Computer and Information Science Department, prepared to host Poly’s InFinite STEM presentation. Settling in with their snacks and notebooks, the murmuring audience patiently waited for the presentation to start.
Belford’s InFinite STEM program allows Grade 6-12 girls and non-binary students to participate in a variety of immersive STEM related activities as well as learn from STEM professionals through research, interviews, and presentations. The program aims to aid students interested in STEM fields in gaining experience and building relationships that they will carry with them beyond the walls of Poly Prep.
After a brief technical hiccup caused by the weather conditions in Seattle, Washington, speaker Suzanne DePoe joined the Poly community over the phone to spend an hour of her time with us. The presentation’s audience was a delightful and diverse range of members, full of InFinite STEM members, Advanced Indigenous History and technology students, accompanied by various faculty and staff. This presentation was a ground for the intersection of multiple disciplines within Poly.
Poly was honored to have DePoe as the speaker of this event as we observe Native American Heritage in the month of November. DePoe gave us an overview of her family’s history, a synopsized history of Indigenous People’s mistreatment since America’s independence, and ultimately left us with her goals within the technology field.
DePoe is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Oregon, specifically the Tututni (Siletz), Turtle Mountain Ojibwe, and Southern Cheyenne tribes. DePoe has an extensive and impressive background in technology and computer science. She started her career with Nordstrom in the early 1990s and has since worked with leading technology companies, such as Windows, where she worked with hardware and software, and Google, where she worked with security operations. She has over 30 years of technology experience, 13 of which she spent at Google. Now, she works with the Robotics Education Competition (REC) Foundation with the goal of creating accessible regional events like their Southwest Native American Showcase.
Events such as the Southwest Native American Showcase allow Native American
schools that wish to participate in Robotics competitions to have the ability to take part in and share these valuable experiences with their communities without the physical and costly burden of traveling across the country. With the proper grant money from Google, DePoe shares that $500,000 will be provided to Native American students and robotics programs. This money can be used to help supply these students with the adequate Robotic parts, floor elements, tools, and other resources needed to be successful in these Robotics competitions. For DePoe, these programs are so much more than just technology. They are sites that encourage teamwork, trial and error, testing, and overcoming failures. They are places that build intergenerational relationships within communities and confidence amongst participants.
While reflecting on her experience as an Indigenous woman working in a male-dominated field like technology, DePoe advised the Upper School audience not to be afraid to ask questions and speak up. As she neared the end of her presentation, DePoe described what an overwhelming feeling it is to be able to give back to the children of her community in this way.
The next day, History Faculty Beth Eby and Zoë Campbell ’25 hosted a conversation to present what they accomplished during their fall Native American Studies Service Learning Team (SLT). During their talk entitled, “Beyond Land Acknowledgements: Community Engagement and Outreach with the Lenape Nation,” Eby and Campbell presented their first draft of a land acknowledgment for Poly, as Poly is built on indigenous Lenape land.
As November comes to an end and we head closer to the new year, it is important to continue having conversations with Native American individuals about Native American issues and history. Support of Indigenous communities and land acknowledgments are just some of the many vital steps needed for moving towards an equitable future for Indigenous communities.
