Alumna Helps Her People Fight Diabetes
February 1, 2012
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| Lynn Cuny, an Oglala Lakota alumna who works for a special diabetes prevention program as a health technician in Rapid City, SD , leads a group on a hike through the Black Hills as part of her community prevention and awareness program in this 2010 file photo. |
| Lynn’s Lakota name means “She Helps Her People.” Her name perfectly predicted her life’s path. Lynn earned her master’s degree from Oglala Lakota College (OLC) in South Dakota and today works to educate people about preventing and controlling type II diabetes in her community as a prevention health technician. “I feel passionately about it because I have family members who have been affected by diabetes. It’s a disease that hits home for me and the community,” Lynn says. Scholarships were integral to Lynn’s success. Her parents struggled to buy food and could not afford to send her to college. Lynn says she was determined to go to school and studied hard to qualify for scholarships.“It is a struggle to even go to college, but to be financially capable [of going] is one of the most important things in helping students stay in school and come full circle. We have professional people in our communities who are becoming teachers, business leaders, and cultural leaders. Just retaining those people [in college] and having them make a positive impact is a great thing.” |
