Cherokee is a Passamaquoddy and Cherokee Native. She has lived in Sipayik, on the reservation and in Pembroke her whole life. In 2025 she traveled outside of the state of Maine for the first time – went to visit family in Georgia. She is inspired to serve on the Cobscook Board because, in her teenage years, she was able to attend the Cobscook Experiential Program (CEP)for high school students. She deeply appreciated and enjoyed the experiences she had with CEP. She remembers building stairs out of rocks, camping and canoeing and getting a lot of time outdoors. That was important to her as a young learner. Cherokee lives with severe social anxiety, but found that she was a lot more comfortable as a student attending Cobscook’s CEP. She enjoyed, and found it worked for her to have such a variety of ways to learn from: from reading fascinating books, to gardening and cooking! She reflects, “Serving on the Cobscook Board gives me an opportunity to be proactive and to give back to an organization that gave me something so important when I needed it. And, programs and experiences come to life through Cobscook Institute for people of all ages. In the future, as a community member, I look forward learning camping skills, going on camping trips, attending the Monday Night Music Circle with my ukulele, and to continue learning new things.”