Inspired to pursue geological engineering by his strong connection to his North Dakota homeland, Tyson Jeannotte will walk off the stage in May with a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota (UND). He grew up on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian Reservation in the north central part of the state, and has a long-term goal of leading his own environmental remediation firm to restore tribal lands.
Jeannotte encountered challenges along the road to that graduate degree. After two years at Turtle Mountain Community College, he transferred to UND. But being away from family and friends wasn’t easy, and he soon transferred back. “My biggest obstacle wasn’t the academic demands,” he recalls. “I just wasn’t comfortable. What helped me return to UND to complete my bachelor’s degree in environmental geoscience was having some family members living nearby.”
With a 4.0 in his senior year at Turtle Mountain High School, Jeannotte had a head start on gaining admission to UND, and his counselor encouraged him to apply for the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholars Program. “I wasn’t planning to go to college,” he says. “I was more interested in getting a job and making money. So when my counselor asked me if I had applied for the scholarship, I said no. He then called my mom, who made me apply. I ended up being selected, which was very encouraging.”
Jeannotte’s aptitude for the sciences was evident back in sixth grade when he enrolled in a STEM summer camp. Although he wasn’t originally accepted, his mother persuaded him to show up the first day and see if he could get in. “They accepted me,” he says. “What was so neat was that every day we worked on a different project. This helped me develop my STEM skills while building critical thinking. I attended for many summers, and I’m so glad I did.”
As an undergrad, he had the opportunity to work on a project analyzing the cleanup of a drilling site in western North Dakota. “I was able to study various soil and water samples as well as remediation methods. Fortunately, the remediation was done properly,” he says.
After earning his BS, Jeannotte worked as a biological technician for the Department of Agriculture. “It was my first experience as a scientist,” he says.
After earning his BS, Jeannotte worked as a biological technician for the Department of Agriculture. “It was my first experience as a scientist. We took soil samples and analyzed them in the lab. It was a great learning opportunity,” he recalls.
Jeannotte now shares his experiences with recent high school graduates as UND’s Native American Success in Science and Engineering Mentor and stresses the importance of making their academic advisors their “best friends.” He recommends UND to Native students, especially those in STEM, adding, “The instructors here really care about their students and want them to succeed. I appreciate all my advisor has contributed to my education. Dr. Mahmood and I developed a strong friendship, and I’m going to miss him when I graduate.”
In collaboration with North Dakota State University, Jeannotte coordinates a two-week STEM camp offered among five tribal colleges in North Dakota. “The first week, students start at one school and then rotate to the next, where they are exposed to various STEM research projects. They ultimately choose to spend the second week at one school where they work on a project and present their findings to the group,” he explains. “It’s a great hands-on learning opportunity.”
In January, he was part of a student trip to Hawaii for an intensive geology camp experience. Although the national parks were closed due to the government shutdown, Jeannotte encouraged the other students to learn in unanticipated ways. “It was similar to my experience when I was on an internship abroad where we traveled to Africa and Turkey,” he says. “I was exposed to different ways of learning, especially on the fly. At the time, I wasn’t convinced I was learning, but as I got through the program, I realized I was learning, just in different ways.”
Jeannotte also participates as an unofficial advisor for the UND AISES College Chapter. “I help them come up with ways to raise money and find internships and other career development opportunities, like STEM competitions and camps,” he explains. But no matter what his role at UND, Jeannotte encourages students to continue their education, telling them, “It will be the greatest investment of your life.”
