Rural Community Builder Name: Trina Kosydar
Community: Lincoln County
Role: Educator, Siletz Valley School
What is one word or phrase that describes this person as an RCB: True Grit
Recognized by: Lola Jones
Tell us a bit about what you appreciate about them as an RCB: Trina is an educator at the Siletz Valley School, a small charter school in the tribal community of Siletz. During this period of distance learning, Trina has been supporting her current and past students in navigating adolescence in isolation. Many of the kids she works with have experienced trauma: addiction, poverty, abuse and the generational trauma of being Native in a dominant culture world. Trina is an empathic and relatable figure, who provides context and framing for her subject matter in a world seemingly overwhelmed with the relentless familiarity of history repeating itself. Difficult to imagine confronting these truths and facilitating discussion around them in a “normal” environment, but to do it across distance is nothing short of incredible. Educators are literally building the communities of tomorrow, one Zoom at a time.
