When you think of a trailblazer, you think of someone who walks into the unknown and leaves a path behind for others to follow.
Dr. Sophie Two Hawk is one of those people.
She spent her childhood moving from place to place, living on and off reservations. And by 16, she had already graduated high school — not just early, but as valedictorian. Three years later, she’d finished her undergraduate degree. And in 1987, she became the first Native American to graduate from medical school in South Dakota.
It wasn’t simple. It wasn’t smooth. And more than once, teachers told her that Native Americans can’t become doctors.
But Sophie Two Hawk understood something early on: if you don’t see someone who looks like you in the place you want to be… sometimes that’s the sign you’re meant to be the first.
Today, you’ll hear her remarkable story, and how it intersects with a heartbreaking reality. Substance use disorder and overdoses continue to devastate Native American communities at rates far higher than the rest of the population.
In this episode, we’ll explore what’s behind these disparities, and what real healing, hope, and change can look like.
MEET THE GUEST
Dr. Sophie Two Hawk
Dr. Sophie Two Hawk is a physician, trailblazer, and advocate for healing in Native American communities. She made history in 1987 as the first Native American to graduate from medical school in South Dakota, after being told repeatedly that Native Americans could not become doctors. Today, she uses her lived experience and medical expertise to speak out about health inequities, substance use disorder, and the path toward hope and healing.
