A Cottage Grove resident named Pahoua Yang has been selected for a Bush Fellowship. A grant program overseen by the Bush Foundation, Bush Fellowships provide those chosen for them with up to $100,000 for anywhere from one to two years of study and professional development in the interest of creating longterm change. Applicants go through an interview process, sharing their vision and naming what they need to get to the next level of leadership. The selection committee for a Bush Fellowship is made up of a mix meant to reflect the diversity of the Twin Cities region. 468 people applied in 2021, with just 24 being chosen. All told, the Bush Fellowship has helped 2,400 people during its sixty years in existence.

Yang, works at the Amherst H. Wilder foundation, which is the largest regional provider of mental health services to communities from Southeast Asia. She believes in the power of cultural healing, and wants to integrate traditional healing practices within the formal mental health system to improve outcomes for her Hmong community. To lead this visionary expansion in mental health services, she wants to gain more expertise in traditional healing and health care policy to address harmful systemic assumptions and better understand where transformation is possible. She will also study inclusive leadership practices, connect with tribal nations and governmental entities that have piloted successful traditional healing as part of health care, and engage the local Hmong community to build collective will for change.

“Every year, the Fellows inspire us with their immense talent and even bigger ideas to make the region work better for everyone,” said Damon Shoholm, grant making director for the Bush Foundation. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to support their growth as leaders and their bold thinking to create largescale change.”

More information on applying for a Bush Fellowship is available at www.bushfoundation. org.