Youth Council biographies

Dominik Briant

Hi, my name is Dominik Briant. I’m in the eighth grade at Willamina Middle School and I am 13 years old. I am an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and I have lived in Grand Ronde for most of my life. My parents are Shannon Simi and Mark Briant. I have one sister, Kaleigha Simi, and one brother, Drew Briant.

I have been playing sports since I was a little boy. I’m the quarterback of my football team and the point guard for my basketball team. I have also played lacrosse, baseball and soccer, and I have wrestled. I enjoy most all sports, but football and basketball are my favorites. Being involved with sports has taught me leadership skills, to be a team player, to trust my other teammates and I have gained friendships and adult mentors. Playing sports keeps me healthy and active and helps me keep my grades up. Sports are what motivate me every day. I live and breathe sports and my love for every game I play is strong.

I am also involved with the Future Farmers of America at my school and I am a member of the National Junior Honor Society.

I attend a lot of cultural events and powwows as well as community events and activities with my mom and my sister. I’m thankful for the opportunities that the Tribe has provided for me, I enjoy attending Youth Education events and trips. This past year I got to travel to New York City and participate in the meteorite ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History. As a member of Youth Council, I attended the Native Wellness Leadership Academy Conference in San Diego.

My future plans are to attend the University of Oregon, to play on their football or basketball team and to get a degree in Arts & Science. I would also like to play in the NFL or NBA.

I’m thankful for this opportunity to be a role model and serve as a leader to all youth in the community.

Izaiah Fisher

Izaiah Fisher is Shasta and Tututni and enrolled in the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. He is also of Grand Ronde and Salish descent.

Izaiah is 15 years old and a freshman at Willamina High School. He is a member of the Future Farmers of America and the basketball team. Izaiah enjoys singing with the Grand Ronde Canoe Family and dancing with the Siletz Feather Dancers.

Aside from his extracurricular activities, he maintains his grades and is on the honor roll. Izaiah served on the Siletz Youth Council and is a member of the Grand Ronde Youth Council.

Izaiah plans to serve as a collective voice for the youth while planning positive service projects within the community. Izaiah strives to be a positive role model for all youth. Also his mission is to bring the youth and the community closer than it already is.

Madalyn (Maddie) Volz

Hi, my name is Madalyn Volz, I’m 12 years old and I go to Patton Middle School in McMinnville, and I’m in the seventh grade. I like to do gymnastics and I cheer for McMinnville youth cheer.

Raven Harmon

Hi, my name is Raven. I’m 16 years old and I’m a junior at the Sheridan Japanese School. I am Alaskan-Native. I am fluent in Chinook and I’m currently learning Japanese to prepare for my Japan trip in June 2017. I am a Native ambassador for WERNATIVE. I like to play softball and I also volunteer at Yamhill Head Start because when I’m older I plan to be a pediatrician. I’m a Grand Ronde Canoe Family member and I like to participate at cultural events.

Isabelle Grout

Hello, I am Isabelle Grout. I am 13 years old and I’m in the eighth grade at Willamina Junior High. I have been honored to serve my Tribe on the CTGR Royalty since 2009 and am currently Junior Miss Grand Ronde for 2016-17. Serving on Royalty has provided me with some amazing opportunities and adventures; my favorite has to be traveling to New York City and participating in a ceremony with the meteorite Tomanowos on display in the American Museum of Natural History. This past year my family and I have gotten involved with our Canoe Family. We even went on journey. It was such hard work, but it felt so good to work as a team, sharing our songs with other Tribes and meeting some great new friends. I already can’t wait for next year.

At school I participate in the SMILE program. SMILE stands for Science & Math Investigative Learning Experiences and is a pre-college program put on by Oregon State University.

I also help teach powwow dance classes to the kids in our community. It is important to me to not only help preserve our culture for future generations, but also show our Elders that the future of the Tribe is in good hands.

I am so honored to join the Youth Council to further my leadership skills and to be a voice for the youth in our Tribe.

I would like to thank the Tribe for continuing to offer these great experiences and opportunities, and let you all know how lucky I feel to represent you and my family in this capacity. Thank you for all your continued support and love.

Hayu masi.

Jason Page

My name is Jason Page and I just turned 14 years old. I am in the eighth grade at Christ the King Catholic School in Milwaukie.

My goal is to go to La Salle Preparatory School and then Stanford University. I currently maintain a 4.0 GPA and my favorite subjects in school are language arts and math.

I enjoy playing track and field and basketball for my school and we were the Catholic Youth Organization basketball champs last year in our division. In addition, I have a group of friends who play in the 3-on-3 tournament in Salem every year.

I also like to play video games online with friends.

I’m in the Big Buddy program at my school, which gives younger kids and older kids help figuring out how to get along in their grade and help with other school projects.

I’m also in the Christian Leadership program at my school. It’s where you learn about God and help to teach that to other kids. We do essays and service projects in the community.

Payton L. Smith

I am 15 years old and I currently attend Rainier Sr./Jr. High School in Rainier, Ore. I have a younger brother Donovan who is 11. We are the great-great-grandchildren of Esther M. LaBonte, and the great-grandchildren of Rosetta LaBonte Manangan. My grandmother, Marcia Stake, currently was elected to hold a position on the Elders Committee.

My parents have been telling me to be a leader every morning when I go to school since I was little. I have definitely taken this to heart. I have been playing sports since I was in kindergarten, and some before that. I tend to gravitate to the leader’s position naturally. Currently, I play football and I hold different positions on the offense and defensive teams. I have wrestled since I was in kindergarten; it’s one of my favorite sports. However, I had a season-ending concussion last year and so I recently joined the swim team. I am looking for a district placement for 100-meter butterfly. I also run many events in track and field, but my favorite event is the javelin throw.

We moved to Rainier about 10 years ago and I have been with the same friends and students since then. My town and school are so small that the school campus holds all students K-12. When I was younger I remember these big wrestlers coming in to help me and the others. I’m very fortunate that I can now return the favor and help coach and referee youth wrestlers. I like the feeling of giving back, the same sense of leadership when I see young students and athletes around school. I also teach swim lessons and lifeguard.

I love science and math and am currently in advanced classes for both. Something that you might find interesting is that I used to hate reading. I was never good at it and had to be in special reading classes. I am now in honors English and have found my groove when it comes to reading things that I like.

School has not always come easy for me, but I have always worked hard and had the support of my mom and dad. While only being 15 years old, I am finding that adult decisions are coming fast. I have most recently inquired about information on the Air Force and Naval academies. While these are not the only options that I wish to pursue, they are the frontrunners in my search for future schooling. I would love to fly in the service, but I also like the thought of working with my hands. Engineering planes/ships, medicines or bioengineering are some of the other things I think about.

In closing, I would like to tell you that I am a man of my word. I work hard and play hard. I am serious, but fun loving and a little crazy, too. I once told my mom that I would one day have my own private island. I am a big dreamer and goal setter. I love being with my friends and family. These are the people most important to me. I am just starting to see myself in this big world that I will one day be a part of as an adult. I look forward to discovering what I can do and who I will become.

Youth Council Objective: The objective of the Youth Council is to provide a collective voice and represent the Tribal youth in all matters that concern them; to serve as a means of mobilizing and coordinating the actions of youth, other community members and organizations toward positive goals; to promote the development of future Tribal leaders; to help solve problems facing Tribal youth; to coordinate cultural, school and community service projects; and provide for the youth to interact for fun and fellowship.

Please check out our Facebook page for upcoming General Youth Council meetings, events and activity nights: CTGRYouthCouncil.

Youth Council Adviser: Shannon Simi, 503-879-2301 or Shannon.Simi@grandronde.org.