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Elsie
DuBraay strikes a pose during a July 2017 visit to Stanford
University in California. It was DuBray's top choice for colleges
and she found out she was accepted to the esteemed research
university on Dec. 8.
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All about Elsie
- Elsie DuBray, 17, senior at Timber Lake School.
- Parents Fred and Michelle DuBray.
- Found out Dec. 8 she was accepted to Stanford University.
- Will represent the High Plains Region at the Intel International
Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh May 13-18 with
her project Buffalo vs. Beef: Analyzing Lipid Content
in Search of Potential Health Benefits (Phase II).
- Family owns a buffalo ranch on the Cheyenne River Reservation.
- Member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
- Featured in a documentary storytelling project on Native
American food sovereignty called "Gather." Learn more at
gather.film/
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Elsie DuBray voices a slogan for her demographic.
"Small-town kids can do big things."
DuBray, a Timber Lake High School senior, is proof.
She recently returned to her home on the Cheyenne River Reservation
after a visit to Stanford University in California. Next school
year, the esteemed research university will be DuBray's new home.
She found out she was accepted Dec. 8.
"I knew I definitely wanted to go there," she said.
DuBray, 17, sent her application in November. As the day she
was to find out about admittance approached, she worked to remain
calm.
Then Dec. 8 came. DuBray was at her brother's basketball game
in Lemmon. So was her friend Jakways Mendoza. DuBray decided to
step out of the gym to learn about her future.
"I went out of the stands. I went to go sit in the commons area.
I logged into my phone, set my password. It said I had an update
on my account," DuBray said. "I said, 'Oh my God, this is real.'
I clicked on it, read the congrats part. I said, 'Holy crap, Jak,
I think I just got in!'"
DuBray returned to the gym. The look on her face revealed the
good news to another friend who knew what was happening.
DuBray started to cry. She was hugged by friends and brother,
then made her way to her parents who were in the stands but hadn't
yet noticed the fuss.
"It was kind of embarrassing but I ran up into the stands. I'm
pretty sure my mom started crying, too. It was just really, really
exciting," DuBray said.
She looks forward to pursuing a degree in biochemistry with
a minor in American Indian studies. And if her high school career
is any dedication, she'll continue to be able to bridge her love
of research and her family's livelihood. The DuBrays have a buffalo
ranch on the Cheyenne River Reservation.
DuBray has concerned herself with the health of consuming grass-fed
buffalo and its possible affect on heart disease and diabetes
common health problems in Native American communities.
Last year, she placed third at the High Plains Regional Science
and Engineering Fair at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
in Rapid City. That allowed her into the Intel International Science
and Engineering Fair 2017 in Phoenix as an observer. It's at that
event that she realized she was doing what she loves.
She made another trip to Mines for a green chemistry camp that
a judge encouraged her to attend. That's where she met Tsvetanka
Filipova, professor of chemistry and applied biological sciences
at Mines.
"I really wanted a mentor. After being around her at the camp,
I hit it off with her. I kind of decided to ask if she would be
my mentor for this year's project. I started bouncing ideas off
her for my project," DuBray said.
Her project is Buffalo vs. Beef: Analyzing Lipid Content
in Search of Potential Health Benefits (Phase II). She was
overall winner at this year's science and engineering fair and will
represent the High Plains Region at the Intel International Science
and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh later this month.
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Elsie
DuBray with her project "Buffalo vs. Beef Analysing Lipid
Content in Search of Potential Health Benefits (Phase II)."
The project won a spot representing the High Plains Region
in the Intel Science and Engineering Fair later this month.
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The mentorship opened up opportunities that DuBray wouldn't
have had otherwise.
"I needed that. Without a mentor I wouldn't be able to do the
procedures in my project, it's not really high school-level science.
The instruments at the School of Mines she has allowed me to use
under her guidance it's the only reason I was able to do
the research," DuBray said.
DuBray had the right grades and ACT score and a killer project
for her application to Stanford. But she knew she needed more than
numbers.
"A lot of it has to come from my research project," she said.
"Not just what I've done and the awards, but the passion behind
it. People that care and genuinely do want to make a difference,
and I genuinely feel that way and I guess they saw it, too."
It means a lot to DuBray to represent her community. Not a lot
of rural students are candidates for Stanford.
"It makes it even sweeter for me. I feel like rural areas, particularly
on the (reservation), are brushed under the rug. No one expects
much. A lot of people unfortunately, because of that stigma, feel
they can't do it," DuBray said. "I'm from the reservation in South
Dakota, and it seems like there's this barrier that's there. To
a certain extent it is, but it really isn't. I think it's cool I'm
representing my school, my tribe, my reservation, my state."
"I hope that I am able to be of some sort of inspiration to
younger kids, be someone they can look at and say, 'I can be that,
too,'" she said. "It's all within yourself, and nothing can hold
them back."
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