A Mount Pleasant woman is among seven other selected guests to join First Lady Jill Biden in her viewing box for President Biden’s State of the Union Address Tuesday evening.
Melissa Isaac is the Gizhwaasod (“Protector of the Young”) at the Michigan Department of Education’s Indigenous Education Initiative and is the Founder of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe’s Project AWARE Program.
Isaac is an enrolled member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and serves her community through her role at the Michigan Department of Education.
Most recently, Isaac worked as the Director of Education for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.
As an elementary school teacher at Saginaw Chippewa Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Isaac recognized the need to support the mental health of her students and their families.
Isaac later successfully applied for a Project AWARE grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Using the grant, Isaac expanded mental health services for kids at Saginaw Chippewa Academy, along with two public school districts, which included services for Native American children.
Isaac previously met with First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murphy on Oct. 24, 2021 when they hosted a listening session that was focused on youth mental health with members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, educators and families in Mt. Pleasant.
Isaac, along with seven other individuals, with their resilience, innovation, service and courage, were chosen by the White House because they represent policies or themes to be addressed by President Biden in his speech.
The Second Gentleman, Mr. Douglas Emhoff, President Biden’s sister Valerie Biden Owens, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, Oksana Markarova, will also join the First Lady in her viewing box.
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