THE EXTRAORDINARY HOPE OF THE IM_POSSIBLE DREAM: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY AND PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH DESIGN OF INDIGENOUS WOMEN LIVED EXPERIENCES AND VALUES AS STEM FACULTY

Abstract

This study explores the narratives of Indigenous women in STEM higher education, illuminating how their lived experiences and values shape the “Im_Possible Dream” of navigating, transforming, and thriving within STEM and academia. With Indigenous faculty representing less than 0.5% of educators, the pathway from graduate education to academic careers remains constrained by structural, cultural, and epistemological barriers. Through the stories of the Indigi Sisters, this research demonstrates how Indigenous values sustain hope, resilience, and success despite these challenges. Grounded in sociocultural and constructivist perspectives, the study critiques STEM’s historical reliance on positivist approaches that have marginalized Indigenous ways of knowing. It introduces Cassandra’s Wayfinder, a conceptual framework integrating Two-Eyed Seeing, Both-Ways Learning, and hope to reimagine STEM as a more inclusive, interdisciplinary, and humanizing STEAM environment that values multiple epistemologies. Using qualitative methods, including photovoice, storyboarding, and focus groups, the study reveals how Indigenous women experience invisibility and undervaluation while drawing strength from an interconnected Indigenous Ecosystem of Values rooted in mind, body, spirit, emotion, creativity, and reciprocity. This portable cultural foundation enables contributors to transform STEM spaces by fostering collaboration, innovation, and holistic approaches to knowledge. Despite systemic barriers, participants bridge Indigenous and Western epistemologies through creative expression, cultural identity, and reciprocal relationships. As knowledge weavers, they integrate art, science, culture, and community to create inclusive learning environments and challenge dominant knowledge systems. Ultimately, this study argues that Indigenous women in STEM are transformative agents whose values and ways of knowing expand the possibilities of STEM education. Their experiences illuminate pathways toward more equitable, culturally responsive, and interdisciplinary futures while inspiring future generations to pursue the “Im_Possible Dream.”