Oklahoma State University clinical psychology doctoral candidate Victoria O’Keefe was a recipient of the Psychologists in Public Service Wayfinder Award.  The award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding contributions in psychological service to a Native Community. 

O’Keefe (Seminole/Cherokee) is entering her fifth year in the clinical psychology Ph.D. program at OSU.  Her research centers on suicide within Native Communities.  Originally from Cleveland, O’Keefe was introduced to OSU through the American Indians Into Psychology (AIIP) program. 

The Wayfinder Award is presented by the American Psychological Association, Division 18.  It is open to all disciplines; nominees do not need to be a psychologist or psychology student.  The winner must have contributed to Native Communities by way of research, teaching, program development, clinical practice, or any endeavor that serves to restore, revitalize, and regenerate Native culture, healing, or recovery from issues associated with historical trauma. 

The art of wayfinding was a culturally informed means of navigation used on long distance ocean voyages throughout Oceania that ended around the 14th century.  A century or so later, the world succumbed to great changes and part of them was the systematic and sustained loss of Indigenous wisdom and cultures all across the globe.  As a result, many Native peoples have similar histories wherein tradition and culture has been despoiled and historical trauma the dominant narrative. 

Today, Wayfinding is a still a term related to navigation, but it typically references a navigator or pathfinder.  Its relevance to Native communities has since become iconic in that it represents the revitalization of culture, tradition, and what remains of the ancient Indigenous wisdoms.  Rediscovering a new appreciation for the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed by culture, is among the central challenges of our time and Wayfinding has become the contemporary mechanism for navigating those complex issues.