TEMPE, Ariz. — Millicent Michelle Pepion will graduate this month with a master’s degree in Family and Human Development from the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University.
Pelion is Bitterwater (Tódich’íi’nii) born for the Blackfeet Nation. Her maternal grandparents are The Red Running Into Water People (Táchiini), her paternal grandparents were French fur traders of the Pacific Northwest.
Pepion was born in Tuba City, but was raised primarily in Mesa. Her thesis, which can be viewed on Youtube.com, addresses concerns with treatment programs aimed at helping Native American families.
In her thesis, Pepion specifically addresses her concerns with Native American Connections, a nonprofit organization that claims to help “10,000 individuals and families a year” by providing treatment programs, housing programs, and community services for all people of the Phoenix metropolis.
Pepion points out that NAC has a high recidivism rate, meaning a lot of people who graduate from NAC’s treatment programs end up relapsing and returning to NAC, sometimes multiple times per year. To combat this high recidivism rate within the NAC organization, Pepion suggests NAC adopt a one-year treatment program and offer child care.
After graduation, Pepion plans on raising $150,000 for NAC with the specific purpose of providing child care options for parents in recovery.
Millicent M. Pepion