Exploratory User Research for a Website that Provides Resources for Educators of American Indian Students in Higher Education Page: III

                                
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I express a profound gratitude to my committee chair and advisor, Dr. Christina Wasson.
Her rigorous standards and unlimited insights assisted me in all aspects of the thesis project
including study design, data collection, analysis, and writing. I am most grateful that she
demanded I give my full attention to the intersection of theory and practice. This has made my
work more practical and it inspires me to improve my skills as an anthropologist.
I also extend my deepest thanks to committee members Dr. Susan Squires and Dr. Xin
Wang. Dr. Squires assisted me immensely in articulating clear visions for the research design,
and in particular, the think-aloud session. Dr. Wang offered unique perspectives regarding user
experience and human-computer interaction that enriched my project and led to additional
deliverables for the client.
This thesis would not be possible without the collaboration of Drs. Nancy and Michael
Fire and their passion for the education of American Indian students. I also thank Rhonda
Collins, who introduced me to the Fires, and the applied anthropology program at UNT. I
sincerely thank all of my study participants for sharing their stories and trusting me to
represent them fairly. And finally, I am ever grateful for the unwavering support of my husband,
Lucas, gracias por todo.

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