Native American Heritage Month in Shoreline Schools

This Native American Heritage Month, the Shoreline School District is featuring a few leaders within our school district who are of Native ancestry.

School Board Director Meghan Jernigan

School Board Director Meghan Jernigan shares this message for our community.

Halito Shoreline and Lake Forest Park families!

My name is Meghan Jernigan and I am so grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself in the “Native way” which for many people in my community means sharing my family lineage and family story. 

I was born and raised in Tulsa Oklahoma, and I am a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma where most of my family resides. I am the granddaughter of Edith Gardner, great granddaughter of Chief Jefferson Gardner, and I am a sister, auntie and mother to two boys.

 
I have been a guest on Coast Salish lands since 2008, when I relocated to work at the Seattle Indian Health Board’s Urban Indian Health Institute. 

While Seattle was far away from my home, I knew in my heart that I wanted to be part of the tribal public health ecosystem in Washington state so I jumped in with my raincoat and luggage!

My family and I live in the Meridian Park neighborhood of Shoreline, and we have had the wonderful privilege of raising our two boys in the district, from their early days at the Edwin Pratt Center all the way to Shorewood High School. 

After serving in the secretary role on the Meridian Park PTSA, I was elected to represent District 1 on the Shoreline School Board where I am currently serving my second term on the board. I also work as the Deputy Director of Federal Relations for the Washington State Department of Health where I get to support the state’s governmental public health system and work on federal health policies.

Raising my children in Shoreline has been a blessing. We are active in Shoreline baseball and enjoy connecting with other Native families in the district and in the greater Seattle area. 

My family deeply values the network of Native youth organizations that support our students outside of the classroom, from basketball with Native Warrior Athletics, to storytelling with Red Eagle Soaring. In my spare time, I serve on the board of Red Eagle Soaring and can be found in my favorite Costco camping chair cheering on my sons at their games.

Yakoke (thank you) for supporting Native American Heritage month! And always remember, you are on Native land!