I Believe in Fort Apache

Julee Dehose is a White Mountain Apache Tribal member and serves in her home community of Cibecue at the Dish’chii’bikoh Community School on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Julee grew up in Cibecue, a White Mountain Apache village of 900 tribal members, and attended the Dish’chii’bikoh Community School from kindergarten to 12th grade. Julee also attended the New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas and has worked as project manager of the Ndee Bini Bidaa Ilzaa Project (Pictures of Apache Land) with the Tribe’s Water Resources Department. Julee is committed and passionate about the future of her tribe and members, and as a FoodCorps service member has the opportunity to serve her home community.

Julee understands that unhealthy lifestyles occur within her community and that healthy food and education are assets that should be equally distributed to the youth in her community. She feels, “In order to have a healthy society, people need to feel healthy about themselves”. Julee teaches weekly garden and nutrition classes to Cibecue students grades 3rd – 5th, hosts the after school garden club, and continuously integrates White Mountain Apache traditional knowledge into her curriculum for her students. Julee serves as a true role model for White Mountain Apache youth and enjoys her position with FoodCorps, representing her tribe within the farm to school movement.