College Fund Staffer and Oglala Lakota College Scholarship Recipient Appear at University of Wyoming's Days of Dialogue

“If I Stay on the Rez” is a powerful public service announcement about the good college students and graduates can do when they give back to their communities. Trivia Afraid of Lightning, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, American Indian College Fund recipient, and full-time student at Oglala Lakota College; and Patterson Yazzie, member of Navajo Nation, and staff member at American Indian College Fund, spoke about giving back to the community to college students on a panel discussion at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The panel discussion was part of the university's Days of Dialogue, a week-long event celebrating diversity in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Afraid of Lighting and Yazzie spoke to a packed audience as part of a panel discussion titled “ Back to the ‘Hood: Can It Be Done After College?” Afraid of Lightning said, “It takes one person to care and make a difference.” She described how she encourages others to complete their education, or seek a higher education.

Yazzie noted, “If we continue to call ourselves American Indians or Native Americans, all of our knowledge is at home. Our society's knowledge is derived from indigenous knowledge.” He spoke about giving back to the community at home to safeguard that knowledge for future generations.

Afraid of Lightning also presented a session titled “Don't Let Others Define You.” She told the audience she learned at a young age about how it was up to her to achieve her goals and overcome obstacles created by society. She said her life experiences have taught her there is a need in this world for awareness, understanding, compassion, and truth. She also counseled that to succeed, all people need to have a strong awareness of who they are and be willing to commit to their own inner truth.