Tahonwentsiawakon “Moon” Pyke, Compliance & Food Distribution Summer Intern
By Ethan Thomas, Communications Department Summer Intern
(The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe is proud to provide employment opportunities for high school and college students through the Department of Education’s Summer Youth and Career Internship Employment Program. To help report on this initiative, we are proud to share the following summer student spotlight, which reports on internships in areas specific to the student’s chosen career path.)
Tahonwentsiawakon “Moon” Pyke (age 22), son of Maria Pyke and Ira Jacobs, will be a college senior this fall at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York; where he majors in History and Government. For this summer however, we had the privilege of sharing Moon’s time between two (2) tribal programs as a student intern: Compliance Office and Food Distribution Center.
With the summer now halfway complete, Tahonwentsiawakon has had some time to get adjusted to the swing of the workplace in two (2) different settings. So far, he said the favorite thing about both internships is “learning new things about how the Tribe works and getting a better understanding of tribal revenue.”
Tahonwentsiawakon explained that when he was looking for summer employment, he wanted to locate a position that tests himself and provides the opportunity to branch out into different areas. For him, building relationships with other tribal employees is important part of furthering his career path.
Tahonwentsiawakon thanks his former co-workers from Northern Landscapes, as well as his uncles, for providing advice that has helped him view work from a different perspective. He’s learned that teamwork means “winning together, losing together, and learning together.” He also believes that moving ahead in life is much easier when you have a healthy support system in place, with people who genuinely care.
In his free time, Tahonwentsiawakon enjoys spending time with his friends and family, playing video games, and reading. One of his favorite books that he recommends reading is “Astrophysics for People In A Hurry,” by astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson.
Niá:wen/Thank you for joining our team this summer Tahonwentsiawakon “Moon” Pyke. We wish you success at St. Lawrence University during your senior year and hope to see you again in the near future.
