We were lucky to catch up with Turquoise Devereaux recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Turquoise thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
I primarily provide services within the education sector where I share knowledge on Creating Culturally Safe Spaces for Indigenous Populations and Students. This approach can be used within classrooms, institutional reform, curriculum development, student services and even hiring practices, However, this requires a decolonized, trauma-informed approach to understanding the experiences that are typically not taught in our westernized education system. By focusing on cultural safety it prioritizes unconditional support for the complexity of identity due to historical impact and lived experiences, which can be applied to any marginalized group, but my focus is with Indigenous populations. Research show that if you support the identity of students they will be more successful in education, which means cultural safety does two things at once. It provides representation, support, and validation for Indigenous students, staff, and faculty while teaching non-Indigenous people how to support and work with Indigenous communities or really anyone who comes from a different cultural background. The transformation that happens within the act of creating a culturally safe space ensures the success and fulfillment of both parties as they both feel more equipped and capable to accomplish they career goals and aspirations.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Turquoise Skye Devereaux and I’m an Indigenous entrepreneur from the Salish and Blackfeet tribes of Montana. I’m the founder of Indigenous Skye, LLC where I facilitate trainings and create programming on Creating Culturally Safe Spaces for Indigenous Populations with any entity that serves tribal communities, tribal communities themselves, and also Indigenous youth. I do this through trauma informed decolonizing strategies of identity revitalization, cultural confidence, and resiliency skill development. Cultural safety ensures not only an inclusive work environment but also the success of Indigenous people within westernized systems such as education. This approach can be utilized as a DEI strategy as well as a skills development, behavioral change mechanism for both Native and non-Native individuals, businesses and communities. My business is based out of Mesa AZ, but I travel all around the nation to do this work. I grew up on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana in a tiny town that doesn’t even have a stop light. I was raised by my grandparents and always had to encouragement to make a difference for my community. While I was in my undergraduate social work program at the University of Montana, I conducted research on Native American student experiences, which has ultimately led to the current trajectory of my career and education as I am currently getting my PhD in social work at Arizona State University. I have been consulting now for about 8 years and I feel so fortunate I can serve my community in this way. Providing justice for my ancestors and strategies for future generations has been to most incredible journey. You follow me on instagram @indigneousskye and check out my website to learn more about my work or book a consultation at indigenousskye.com.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
After only ever living in and knowing Montana my entire life, I made the decision to move to Arizona alone to pursue my graduate education. This was not only an entire new life experience but also a career shift as I had only been consulting for about 2 years and didn’t want to lose my clientele and opportunities for my business. However, I knew that making this move would ultimately provide me with even more skills to further my career and impact. Within this process I learned that making sacrifices that keep you on the path that you are destined to be on does provide the biggest rewards. Once I arrived in Arizona, not only did clients find a way to provide services for them now regionally, but I made new connections that provided me even more opportunity in my new home. In addition, I learned to be adaptable, true to myself, and trust the journey and process. Once you feel and know you are on the right path, you faith, ability and purpose will never lead you astray.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As an Indigenous woman who grew up on the reservation, I have experienced many of the disparities that unfortunately plague Native American communities today. I was raised by my grandparents because of my parents struggles with addiction; I am the granddaughter and daughter of boarding school survivors and ultimately, my trauma is the result of hundreds of years of historical oppression that has been passed down to me. However, that does not define me. I come from ancestors that were the most resilient people you will ever encounter, and I carry that within me as well. I had the support from my grandparents to pursue my education and passions from a very young age. And I know that their support is the reason I’m here. According to statistics, a person like me shouldn’t have made it this far, however, I continue to thrive. I am an Indigenous entrepreneur where I’ve made impact from local to national levels, a second year PhD student, and am able to dedicate my life to serving my community through holistic approaches to healing. My grandparents and family always knew what my potential was. Now I am living it while providing them justice and also trying to be a good ancestor for future generations to change their trajectory.
Contact Info:
- Website: indigenousskye.com
- Instagram: indigenousskye
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turquoisedevereaux/
- Youtube: REZponsePhx