Scott McGregor shares his experiences in forging a brand new partnership with Iḷisaġvik Faculty in Utqiaġvik, Alaska – a unprecedented group that’s breaking down obstacles to create new entry to schooling, expertise, and alternative.
Standing close to the highest of the world, I’ve by no means felt nearer to Cisco’s goal.
The bottom feels completely different right here in Utqiaġvik, Alaska – previously referred to as Barrow. Situated north of the Arctic Circle, Utqiaġvik is the northernmost city in the USA.
From the place I stand on the shore of a sea that’s frozen for a lot of the yr, I’m getting a way of the outstanding historical past of a land that has been residence to the Iñupiaq individuals for hundreds of years and the challenges they’ve overcome to maintain their group for millennia.
At the moment, the residents of Utqiaġvik face a rising problem– integrating the tradition and values of the previous with the technological advances and information wanted to protect their tradition and thrive in a altering, world economic system.
That is what powering an inclusive future for all seems like.
Sturdy group – vital challenges
I’ve come to Utqiaġvik with a small group representing Cisco’s Social Justice Motion Workplace and our Native American Community Worker Useful resource Group.
We’re right here to discover methods we are able to associate to interrupt down obstacles and create entry to schooling, expertise, and alternative.
The challenges are vital right here.
Think about residing in a spot so distant it might solely be accessed by airplane, the place the summer season solar doesn’t dip under the horizon for 82 straight days, and after it dips under the horizon for the final time every November, it doesn’t seem once more till January.
Think about residing in a spot the place dependable entry to trendy conveniences like contemporary produce and heating gas are a problem. And restricted entry to broadband makes it tough to entry crucial companies like schooling and healthcare in addition to preserve a dependable connection to the remainder of the world.
The distant location and the tough situations aren’t the one obstacles. Utqiaġvik is on the entrance traces of local weather change. The rising sea is claiming land at an alarming tempo. Obstacles now block components of a highway that after encircled the city.
If not now – when?
Strolling among the many individuals, it’s clear to me that regardless of the tough situations the Iñupiaq are already thriving. Communities around the globe have one thing to study from the vibrance of this tradition.
We’re not right here for a aid effort. We’re not right here to write down a test. We’re right here to do what Cisco does finest – join the unconnected – and reimagine what’s attainable via these connections.
To achieve true proximity and perceive the distinctive mixture of challenges going through this group – discovering new methods to bridge distance and distinction to create an inclusive future.
This proximity – and this partnership – is central to how Cisco fulfills its Objective to energy an inclusive future for all. And why we created the Social Justice Actions to discover methods of making true impression in underserved communities.
The trail ahead – breaking down obstacles to schooling
On the coronary heart of this distant group is Iḷisaġvik Faculty, one in every of solely 35 accredited tribal schools in the USA and the one tribal school situated in Alaska. The president of the school, Justina Wilhelm, grew up locally and talks about how the varsity is “unapologetically Inupiaq” which means the Inupiaq lifestyle, primarily based on a wealthy basis of a subsistence tradition with the land and sea, guided by Inupiaq values is woven into their curriculum and every day interactions.
Iḷisaġvik Faculty has a contemporary IT infrastructure. However like many underserved academic establishments within the United Sates, there have been some gaps, primarily across the school’s cybersecurity readiness.
Resolving these gaps is crucial. In 2023, the Federal authorities created requirements requiring all faculties receiving federal funding be Nationwide Institute of Requirements Know-how (NIST) cybersecurity compliant. For faculties like Iḷisaġvik Faculty, funding these upgrades presents a significant problem and will in the end decide if they may proceed to function.
By way of Cisco’s dedication to social justice, which ensures minority serving establishments throughout the nation stay cybersecurity compliant, Cisco and its ecosystem of companions have engaged Iḷisaġvik Faculty and performed a NIST evaluation to determine expertise gaps after which donated the expertise and companies required to carry them into cybersecurity compliance. Iḷisaġvik Faculty is the second tribal school to learn from this initiative which positions them to serve their local people in addition to college students who take their programs globally, effectively into the longer term.
One of the best-in-class cybersecurity options applied at Iḷisaġvik featured the Cisco Meraki MX – a multifunctional all-in-one system that delivers ease of deployment, distant administration, and state-of-the artwork options. This distinctive mixture of advantages is important to empowering the brand new future the school envisions for college kids, school, and the broader group.
Bringing the alternatives right here
The partnership between Iḷisaġvik Faculty and Cisco is even deeper than cybersecurity compliance and expertise modernization. Along with supporting the IT infrastructure and connectivity, we can be providing our Cisco Networking Academy coursework, which is able to permit learners to acquire certifications in cybersecurity and networking that may make them extra aggressive for jobs, together with distant jobs.
This implies residents will have the ability to keep of their group and earn a aggressive wage within the cybersecurity and networking fields.
This can be a crucial facet of the trail ahead the group is creating. Alternatives to remain in Utqiaġvik and to proceed to be “unapologetically Iñupiaq” whereas tapping right into a vibrant digital job market made attainable via connectivity.
Classes discovered from the highest of the world
After I launched into this journey, I wasn’t anticipating it to be one of the vital profound experiences of my profession.
Whereas I used to be in one of the vital distant locations on earth, I discovered a welcoming group that jogged my memory how essential it’s to get proximate to a group to totally perceive its wants earlier than offering options.
I found a brand new sense of what’s attainable by strolling alongside individuals with a historical past of residing on the high of world for hundreds of years.
I got here away impressed and energized, understanding that Cisco’s purpose-driven work has by no means been extra essential – or extra related to what issues most in communities around the globe.
As Cisco begins the final yr of our five-year exploration in driving Social Justice, our work – and the impression we’re creating with communities – will proceed to develop due to what we’ve discovered right here.
Preserving the previous – partnering for the longer term. Cisco’s journey continues.
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