Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

From dropout to dean, Gondara takes the right path

Photos and story by James Hill

PORTLAND, ORE. – Brooke Gondara was a high school drop out. She is now the dean of the Social Sciences Division at the Sylvania Campus and she is the first woman from the Northern Cheyenne Nation to earn an academic doctorate. Her tribe has a population of 5,000 and is situated in southeastern Montana. Gondara has come full circle in her educational life. It all started when she earned her GED from the state of Montana in 1990. "The key turning point was realizing as a single mother that I had to find stability and provide for my daughter," said Gondara of her decision to go to college. "And I knew was that I wanted to be in the tribal education field. It was financially tough, but I had my bachelor’s degree funded by the tribe." The 33-year-old Beaverton resident has a doctorate in education with an emphasis in community college leadership from Oregon State University, a master’s degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and Native American studies from Montana State University at Billings. The Northern Cheyenne Nation is an isolated and rural area, 120 miles from any major metropolitan hub. The per capita income is $7,000 a year and employment and high school drop rates stand at 70 percent. After recently earning her Ph.D, she said, "My doctoral work was driven by Northern Cheyenne women, especially, and their experiences with education. Hopefully, I can give back by encouraging other women there to pursue an education." Gondara spent nearly four years (2000-03) as an administrator at Chief Dull Knife College in Lame Deer, Mont., after she received her master’s. She also taught sociology and was a museum education director in Billings before moving into college administration. Gondara discovered PCC when an accreditation team from the college came to Montana State and has been eyeing Oregon for a job ever since. "For me, PCC’s reputation as a positive and progressive place attracted me," Gondara said. Now, one year in as a PCC division dean and with her recent doctorate, Gondara says there has been a lot of transition in her life this past year. "But the people, my colleagues, the faculty and staff and students, have been wonderful. There is a sense of community here," she added.