My name is Stephen Silva Brave, I am a senior year in the UTA BSW program, and a citizen of the Lakota (“Sioux”) Nation. In 2021, I received an Associate's Degree in Substance Use Treatment from Dallas College and became a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor Intern the same year. During my spare time, I worked within my community beyond working at treatment facilities, so I decided to pursue a degree in Social Work.  Unbeknownst to me, I had been doing social work without a degree the whole time.

 

I work to help different organizations advocate and educate others on the Native American community and culture. I am grateful to be a part of the development of a Native American course that is now offered to Texas public high schools. I was elected as the Communications Director for the inaugural Texas Democrats Indigenous Peoples Caucus. I am a member of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) TX Rematriate. This organization helps find and rescue people who have gone missing and educates and advocates on the behalf of the victims of the MMIW crisis. This work has led to me writing an undergraduate thesis on MMIW groups.

 

My future goal is to continue to learn new, exciting, and efficient ways to advocate for marginalized people. I look forward to continuing to research, educate, public speaking, and community organizing but on larger more impactful scales.