Honoring Heritage Through Scholarship: Ellie Trahern’s Path After SOU
By Nylah Winchester, senior English major
March 9, 2026
Pictured above: Ellie Trahern
Ellie Trahern graduated from Southern Oregon University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and dual minors in Native Studies and Ethnic and Racial Studies, which enabled her to study indigenous literatures. Her interest is deeply personal to her: “I was able to understand myself and my heritage as a person of Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) descent through the writing of other Kanaka Maoli poets.” She finds Indigenous literature “so expansive, offering so many answers and alternatives to where we find ourselves today,” which is why Pacific Indigenous poetics remains a focus of Ellie’s work as a graduate student at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).
“Dr. Alvarez and I went on a journey of discovery as it pertains to Pacific literature, and her encouragement along the way fostered a sense of curiosity within my work that I am forever grateful for and continue to be inspired by.”
– Ellie Trahern
At UC Davis, Ellie can focus on subjects closely aligned with her field of study (English Literature with an emphasis in Native American Studies), allowing her to develop as an academic and explore her creativity through poetry production. For instance, Ellie recently gave an oral presentation at the “Poetics I” panel at the Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association Conference. Her presentation “Beyond Colonial Epistemologies: Pacific Poetic Spatial Practices” reports findings from a “literary analysis of epistemological practices in contemporary Native Hawaiian women’s poetry.” Ellie believes that presenting research at conferences is a great way to grow as a scholar: “You meet other people, engage with dialogue, and push past discomfort. It is an opportunity to keep learning, just like school!”
Ellie finds that the most challenging aspect of grad school is “living with [her] research and having to work on a completely different level.” However, Ellie maintains that she was not entirely unprepared, as she had “wonderful advisors who prepared [her] for this, but living it is a different aspect.” Ellie emphasizes that SOU’s English program “rigorously trained” her, with professors like Dr. Alma Rosa Alvarez who helped refine her writing skills, such as vocabulary and grammar. Additionally, Ellie had the opportunity to work with Dr. Alvarez while studying in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program: “Dr. Alvarez really encouraged me during my time at SOU to pursue learning more about Pacific Indigenous poetics. Studying under the McNair program with her in the summer during my undergraduate degree sparked an interest and curiosity that I am still chasing today.”
Pictured Above: Ellie Trahern (left) and others at a Native American Studies Graduate Student Association information booth
Ellie’s main goal is to “survive graduate school,” and she hopes to get “as much as [she] can” out of it by attending conferences, connecting with other scholars, and embracing support from her program. To keep this momentum going, she also does work outside of her program. Ellie co-edited A Queer Indigenous Gathering: Remembering, Resisting, and Thriving: “I was gifted with such wonderful mentors at SOU, one of them being Dr. Brook Colley with Native American Studies. Just before I graduated, I was working with a local non-profit organization that was helping support Dr. Colley with efforts to gather the contributors of the book and bring together the volume.” Through this work, Ellie stepped into the co-editor role with Dr. Colley and continued to assist with book efforts.
As Ellie’s “first foray” into editing, the workflow was “extremely formative” for her learning process. She explains that as an editor for this volume, her job was “more about having a space for the queer Indigenous artists to express themselves and their art in the manner they choose.” In addition, Ellie “forged tight bonds” with other Kanaka Maoli people and other queer Indigenous peoples who participated in the project. Learning from “such amazing contributors” made the project very rewarding: “many of them have wonderful careers, and they offer so much insight.”
“ I am lucky to be at an institution where there is a Native American Studies Graduate Program, which has given me the opportunity for more connections, friendships with other Indigenous students, and specialized training.”
– Ellie Trahern
After Ellie graduates, she plans to teach and educate others about Pacific poetics: “I hope to teach after I graduate, further educating Pasifika peoples within the diaspora and others about the amazing insights and art that Pacific poetics offers. To me, teaching is a way I can become a continuation of the things others have taught me, as well as honoring the legacy of those who took time to mentor me through my undergraduate process.”
Pictured Above: Ellie Trahern at a poetry reading
For those who want to pursue a Ph.D. in English, Ellie suggests, “you must be passionate about what you do! You have several years of focusing on the subject you choose to pursue, so you have to enjoy it on some level.” Additionally, she advises prospective grad students to be “open to perhaps changing course a bit.” Ellie had a “particular interest going into graduate school and has since widened [her] horizons a bit, which is okay!”
Ellie’s experiences enable her to offer additional advice. For prospective editors, she suggests, “Be ready and willing to learn! It is okay to not know every particular part of the editing process and make mistakes; but the willingness to learn and grow is a big portion of that!” Ellie also encourages new academics and aspiring scholars to continue their work in the creative arts. For Ellie, this has been “publishing and continually working on [her] own poetry as an outlet beyond [her] graduate school work.”
Through her work in Pacific Indigenous poetics, conference presentations, and co-editing A Queer Indigenous Gathering, Ellie continues to expand the conversations that began in classrooms and McNair research at SOU. Her journey reminds current English majors that graduate study is about sustaining our passions and honoring our communities. In doing so, she honors the guidance she received at SOU by transforming it into a creative space for others to learn, question, and see themselves reflected in literature.
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By Nylah Winchester, English Major
Nylah Winchester, this year’s English Program blog-writer, recounts her eventful summer vacation and details what she is excited about for the fall term. Nylah then introduces Emma Pearl Williams and Emily Jennings, two incoming English students, who are just as thrilled for their upcoming experiences.
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