Sheila Bong

Co-Founder and VP of Sales at Avant Assessment

Sheila is a Blackfeet Tribal member who gained her deep appreciation for Native language preservation when she worked as a teenager transcribing oral traditions from the lips of Tribal Elders in her hometown of Browning, Montana on the Blackfeet Reservation. While written historical records serve practical purposes, Sheila was struck by the desperate need to save the Blackfeet language from extinction. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Northwest Indian Language Institute and a Board of Director of 7000 Languages, two organizations whose sole mission is to support the learning of indigenous languages. Sheila is also a Co-Founder and Vice President of Avant Assessment, a language assessment company that currently delivers a test of Yup’ik and is planning to develop additional tests of indigenous languages. Her experience as a high school exchange student in Japan changed her life launching a career in international business, and making her a life-long learner of Japanese.

Our Experience as Exchange Students in the US State Department NSLI-Y and YES Programs

Three American and one Pakistani student discuss the languages and lessons they learned in their home stays in Morocco, Egypt, China, and the US, and how their experiences have influenced their lives and careers.

This presentation will be available for on-demand viewing on December 2nd during Global CRED. Register for Global CRED below, it’s quick easy and free!

Four Learners' Experiences Learning Their Native American Language

Learners of the language of their tribe share the experiences, challenges, and rewards of their learning journey.

This presentation will be available for on-demand viewing on December 2nd during Global CRED. Register for Global CRED below, it’s quick easy and free!