University of Oregon graduate Traven Joseph was recently chosen as the 2018-19 Mark Hatfield fellow by The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and Spirit Mountain Community Fund.

The fellowship will take Joseph to the office of U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, where he will learn about the legislative process over the nine-month appointment.

“I’m looking forward to mainly just starting in their office, working, helping and contributing to whatever they’re working on,” Joseph said in a video from the Confederate Tribes of Grand Ronde. “It would be great to get some exposure to education and law on reservations and with tribal communities.”

Joseph grew up in Gresham and graduated from the UO with a bachelor’s degree in applied business and economics.

The Hatfield Fellowship Program selects one Native American from the Pacific Northwest to be a Hatfield fellow. The fellowship was founded in 1998 to honor Mark O. Hatfield’s work as a U.S. senator and Oregon governor, according to an article from the tribes of Grand Ronde.

After his experience with the fellowship, Joseph hopes to get his master’s degree in business administration as well as a law degree, the article says.

To read the full article, see “Community Fund names new Hatfield Fellow.” To see the video of Joseph, see “The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.”