09/20/2026
Few people know the story of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte. In 1889, she graduated at the top of her medical school class, becoming the very first Native American woman to earn a medical degree in the United States. She returned home to serve a massive reservation, often riding dozens of miles through freezing blizzards to treat sick families when no other doctor would come. Her clinic treated both Indigenous and white settlers equally, driven by a deep conviction that every human being deserved care. Her life remains a powerful testament to quiet service. May her memory continue to inspire future generations.