# @washu on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DIRYD0eMEU4
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/37711449-washu-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/d28dbad496.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-04-10T15:43:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** WashU (@washu) — https://gondola.cc/washu

## Caption

This Saturday marks the 35th Annual Buder Center Powwow at WashU—a celebration of Indigenous culture, community, and resilience. A Powwow is more than a gathering; it’s a vibrant expression of identity through dance, song, and tradition passed through generations. 

“It’s just one day, but it means so much. Every year, I meet Native people I’ve never met before. It’s a place of connection, of being seen. And we invite everyone—faculty, staff, students, community members—to come.”

In celebration of this, our latest #FacesofWashU series highlights members of WashU’s Indigenous community who continue to shape, inspire, and uplift our campus.
 
Dr. Pam Begay grew up half of her early life on a farm in New Mexico, rising before the sun with her grandmother and sister. Apples, cherries, squash, watermelon, corn—each harvest was the reward for labors of love poured into the soil.
 
“We saw the fruits of our labor.” That connection—to land, to labor, to legacy—shapes everything she does.
 
Today, Dr. Begay brings that same dedication to her role as Director of the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the Brown School. A proud citizen of the Diné Nation of Shiprock, she is a clinical social worker, educator, researcher, and community builder whose work centers on Native identity, healing, and visibility.
 
For Dr. Begay, that work means making sure visibility of Native students who come from different tribal communities are seen, supported, and empowered in spaces where they are too often underrepresented. In a state without tribal lands and with limited resources for Native communities, the Buder Center becomes more than just an academic space—it’s a cultural and spiritual home.
 
With the support of her team she fosters a space where relationships matter. “We care about each other’s lives. That human connection is the heart of social work.”
 
Her passion is personal. After losing her father before he could witness her PhD graduation, Dr. Begay carries his presence with her in everything she does. “It would have been the cherry on top, but I know he’s with me.”
 
#WashU

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washu, facesofwashu

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