“I’m really looking at growing skills for myself to be a better leader, to be able to lead through change and through conflicts,” said Nicholson, a nurse practitioner from Bemidji. “My goal is to graduate with my doctorate in nursing practice and focus on maternal-child health and women’s health and breastfeeding, closing those health inequity gaps that we really have in our Indigenous community. I plan to use the funding to connect with other Indigenous leaders and healers in our communities and also to expand it to other parts of the United States.”
Nicholson is one of 24 Bush Fellows from Minnesota, North and South Dakota who learned of their awards on May 11.
The Bush Foundation provides Fellows with up to $100,000 over 12 to 24 months to pursue education and learning experiences that help them develop the skills and relationships to foster change in their communities and region. Fellows can use the funding to pursue such things as education, leadership training, networking and mentorship.
Nicholson, 45, works at Mewinzha Ondaadiziike Wiigaming, an American Indian nonprofit organization co-founded by her mother, Millicent Simenson. Its mission is to give women and families more choice, control and confidence when it comes to the birthing process.
