Jamison Lowery ’22MED: ‘So Much of My Tribe’s History is Soaked in Education as a Means of Survival. I See the Impact it has on Future Generations and it is My Duty to Help Support Those to Come Later’

As an undergraduate student, Jamison Lowery ‘22MED began to understand the importance of promoting access to higher education to underrepresented students, including Indigenous students like himself. 

This May, he will graduate from the NC State College of Education with a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration, which he plans to use to impact the educational experience of Native students who leave their communities. 

Learn more about Jamison Lowery

Hometown: Pembroke, N.C.

Degree: Master of Education in Higher Education Administration

Activities (Research or Extracurricular): John M. Belk Impact Fellow at the Hunt Institute with the Higher Education Team

Why did you choose the NC State College of Education?

For the sense of community that comes from the cohort model in the Higher Education program. Also North Carolina is home! Where my people are! 

Why did you choose your area of study?

My time at undergrad showed me the importance of promoting access to higher education for underrepresented students and of having figures who look like you there as encouragement.

What do you hope to accomplish in your field after graduation?

To bring more attention to the unique needs that Indigenous students have in the field of higher education, which has historically been used as a tool of assimilation.

What’s your next step? What do you have planned after graduation?

I hope to work at an institution here in the Triangle to have an impact on the Native students that leave their communities.

How has the College of Education prepared you for that next step?

Through the work experience I gained from my assistantship and internship.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the College of Education?

Either presenting important cultural items to one another in class or spending time with my entire cohort at a brewery after our first year.

Tell us about an experience you had with the College of Education that had the biggest impact on you or your career.

Being published with my issue brief on Indigenous student access at the Hunt Institute.

Why did you choose education?

So much of my tribe’s history is soaked in education as a means of survival. I see the impact it has on future generations and it is my duty to help support those to come later.