Success Stories
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Sherry
Yupik Eskimo
They say every journey gives birth to another. Sherry (Yupik Eskimo) had the pleasure of seeing the fulfillment of her journey, culminating in graduating from Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas magna cum laude (3.97 GPA) with a degree in business administration. |
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Shirley
Crow
Many people consider starting college later in life. These students juggle many responsibilities: children, work, and studies, and sometimes there isn’t enough money to meet all of their obligations. That is where the American Indian College Fund can help. |
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Sky
Tohono O'odham
For many tribal college students on American Indian reservations, choosing an education at a tribal college is often about being close to the community where they grew up. Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) student Sky walks a few meters between home and his classes to carry the knowledge he has for and about the O’odham people.
Sky started his freshman year of college in Tempe, Arizona, many miles from the desolate, rural reservation of his home in Sells. Sky left the state university after that first year out of Barbaquari High School for reasons he describes as enduring a tough transiition from going to class in a place with lots of people gathering in an auditorium that you can’t identify with to returning home to take classes with a couple of students and enjoying a personal relationship with the instructor. |
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Stephen
Cheyenne River Sioux/Iroquois
When Stephen (Cheyenne River Sioux/Iroquois) speaks, he radiates joy. Stephen, a 2009 Oglala Lakota College graduate and a Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship recipient with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, says a college education at Oglala Lakota College helped him discover his culture so that he could provide for his family in a way that allows him to walk the path he was meant to walk. |
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Tallie
Comanche
Tallie has always seen herself as a healer. When she entered Leech Lake Tribal College in Cass Lake, Minnesota, Tallie’s goal was to get her associate’s degree with a science emphasis before moving on to nursing school. |
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Tammy
United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee
Tammy, who grew up in Oklahoma, was always a good student but never thought of going to college. “Nobody in my family had even gone to college and I seriously didn’t think it was an option for me, because it was not an option for many people around me. Where I come from the idea of college was not real for me, and wasn’t until my mother made it real for me." |
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Terra
Red Lake Band of Chippewa
Terra, a student at Leech Lake Tribal College (LLTC) in Minnesota, was selected as a Student Ambassador for NASA. A liberal education major with an emphasis in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math), she was recognized as one of NASA’s highest-performing interns. Terra represented NASA at education and outreach events at schools and universities to inspire other students to pursue STEM careers. Terra was the only student from a Minnesota college or university to receive this honor for 2011. |
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Terry
Comanche Nation
Terry (Comanche Nation), a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduate in the Department of Dramatic Writing at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and American Indian College Fund Mellon Fellow, had her work brought to the stage in the Words Afire! New Works Play Festival at the University of New Mexico Center for the Arts in Albuquerque. |
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Thomas
Blackfeet
Thomas says he always knew that school was his first goal in life. He wanted to go to college to build his knowledge and skills to ensure a successful life. His road to success included enrolling in advanced classes throughout his academic career, and winning numerous awards and scholarships. He earned his first certificate in heavy equipment at Blackfeet Community College (BCC) and plans to earn his associate's degree in business there. |
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