Law Degree Earned, Diploma Shared Elders’ ‘Yeye’ Among Native American Graduates Honored

Margo Hill won’t take all the credit for her law degree.

She didn’t do it alone, she insisted. Her family supported her. So did everyone in Wellpinit.

“If I could put a name on the diploma, it wouldn’t be Margo Hill,” she said. “It would go to the Spokane Tribe.”

Hill, who graduated this spring from Gonzaga University’s School of Law, was one of about 30 people honored Wednesday at a ceremony for Native American graduates.

Students from local high schools, alternative education programs and area colleges gathered at Spokane Community College for a banquet with family and friends. Each graduate received a certificate, a beaded medallion and a ceremonial cloth for their achievements.

“This is for the youth,” said Terri Anderson, program coordinator for SCC’s multicultural services. “We want to honor the students for their hard work and recognize the challenges they faced to accomplish their goals.”

Hill understands those challenges.

The 30-year-old Spokane Indian grew up on the reservation in Wellpinit. No one in her family attended college. They also were very poor.

But education was important to her and the tribe. After graduating from Wellpinit High School 12 years ago, they raised money so she could attend Edmonds Community College and the University of Washington, where she earned a degree in political science.

The tribe also used some of its gaming revenue so she could go to schools in England and Russia. Throughout the years, the Spokane Tribe has invested thousands of dollars in her education, Hill said.

But the support she received wasn’t just financial, she said. They also stood by her side - emotionally and spiritually.

“We’re counting on you, yeye,” the elders often said, referring to her as their “granddaughter” in Salish. “You make us so proud.”

They gave her advice, taught her how to speak Salish fluently, and instilled in her the cultural values of her people.

Hill drove an hour each way from her home in Wellpinit to her classes at Gonzaga. Like other Indians, she experienced cultural shock when she left the reservation, she said.

But she endured.

She did well in her classes while working full time for the Spokane tribal attorney’s office.

“Margo is a very driven, very caring person,” said tribal attorney Dave Lundgren. “She’s fought very hard to overcome many obstacles. I have a great deal of respect for her and what she’s done.”

Hill, who got married 10 months ago and is expecting a baby in October, still works for the tribal attorney’s office. She does everything from reviewing contracts to dealing with employment law issues.

She also serves on the board of directors for Spokane’s American Indian Community Center.

She wanted to be a lawyer for two reasons, she said.

Hill hoped to show tribal youth that they, too, can go to school and succeed.

But most of all, she earned the degree to help her people.

Many Indians don’t have access to attorneys, she said. As a people, the Spokanes have suffered “lots of injustices,” she said.

“We don’t expect everything,” she said. “But we want fairness and we want justice. … I want to fight for my people and protect them. I want to give back wherever I can.”