WASHINGTON, D.C. — A member of the Quinault tribe was among 27 Native American young people from across the country who attended the 2015 White House Tribal Nations Conference.
Shavaughna Underwood, 19, is a graduate of Taholah High School and a student at Grays Harbor College.
Representatives of the 567 federally recognized tribes attended Thursday’s conference along with tribal youth to interact directly with high-level federal government officials and members of the White House Council on Native American Affairs.
The conference included question-and-answer sessions and break-out sessions.
Underwood said that the highlight of the day for her was when President Barack Obama hugged her.
“He is an amazing man, who genuinely cares,” she said after he brought some of the young participants at the conference on stage with him and truly listened to what they had to say about the issues.
“This experience really inspired me,” Underwood said.
“It helped me feel that although we do face many challenges, we can deal with them if we work together.”
The conference was the seventh conducted by President Obama and his administration since he took office.
“This president has done great things to strengthen the relationship between the federal government and tribal governments,” said Tyson Johnston, vice president of the Quinault Nation, who accompanied Underwood.
This year’s conference had a special emphasis on the president’s commitment to increase opportunities for Native youth.
“Investing in our youth is part of the president’s commitment to institutionalize the work he has done to improve our relations and make progress in such critically important areas as health, education, climate change, the environment and economic development,” Johnston said.
