Join Island Wildlife on Tuesday, Feb 1st from noon-1pm as we welcome Ashley Lomboy, founder of the Waccamaw Siouan STEM studio--a tribal-run program that gives back to the community by providing in-person and virtual STEM programs to tribal youth. Ashley will also discuss the upcoming Yacunne (fish) days in April as well as the importance of deer hunting to the tribe. The Yacunne (ya-chu-ne) is an offering and will provide a public opportunity to learn Traditional Ecological Knowledge from the tribe about the time-tested and ever-enduring Indigenous Ways. These living ways have provided for the tribe in feeding their people, providing connection to the river and its wildlife, and have served as a catalyst for remembering their ancestors. Traditional Ecological Knowledge is both scientific and spiritual and has been in place since time immemorial and the Yacunne is an opportunity to support the tribe and future generations in their learning about these living ways from their Elders. This event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required via this link. https://bit.ly/3F3ojEB Lomboy is the global information security manager at Corning Optical Fiber and Cable, leader of the Corning Native American Council, member of the Corning Optical Communications Diversity Council. She is also an Army veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, a member of the YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s executive board of directors, and on the Board of Trustees for the Rockwell Museum in Corning, NY. She is a member of the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe and works closely with her tribe and community to improve access by developing educational programming and other initiatives. She founded the Waccamaw Siouan STEM Studio in 2019 to encourage STEM within her tribal community and recently worked with the YWCA to spearhead the Red Dress Project, a public exhibit in New York and North Carolina to bring awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women. She has been a leader in the information security profession for twenty years, working with multiple Fortune 500 companies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from St. Martin’s University, is a graduate of the North Carolina Native Leadership Institute through the UNC American Indian Center, and works as an advocate for Indigenous rights.